Pokemon: Storm in Kenewyore
by Halestorming
Summary: After years of searching, Storm finally finds his very first pokemon. He sets off to save his family on an epic journey through a new land called Kenewyore. Join him in new gym battles, making new friends and enemies, as well as meeting many new pokemon.
1. Chapter 1: The Dream

**one, welcome all to...****  
><strong>**ADVENTURES IN KENEWYORE!**

**I made up Kenewyore by combining the first three letters of a few states here in the U.S.A. A hundred imaginary cookies for the first reviewer to guess which states! ...they have sprinkles.**

**Anyways, I will have some original Pokemon, and practically everyone is an original character. I may have some characters from the anime and games, but mostly as cameos. Oh! I almost forgot!**

**DISCLAIMER! The characters copyrighted by Pokemon, Nintendo or whoever isn't me don't belong to me. However, I do own my OC's, such as Storm, Bane, my original Pokemon that I will point out, etc...**

**So, without further ado, the story begins!**

...This world is an unusual place... One inhabited by Humans and Pokemon alike... We live together in this world... Connected by invisible threads that link our world together... But, sometimes... some people fail to see the beautiful harmony we have in this world... Some wish to rule it, for personal gain... Some think that the world is incomplete, and wish to change it by force... Others think that we should not live side by side, humans and Pokemon... Some think that the humans should capture all Pokemon, bringing them into submission... Others believe that the Pokemon should rule, such as Ho-oh, and Arceus, and the like... They have cut themselves from the threads that unify our world... However, some still see and appreciate the beautiful harmony in which we live... Of course, there are still those people whom do not appreciate the harmonious balance... They seek to change and twist it, for their own distorted views... But some, brave and valiant, rise to protect this balance from those who would distort it. Over the years the balance has shifted somewhat, fluctuated, if you will, as balances do... The balance was never broken, however... Until one fateful, terrible day...

However, I'm getting ahead of myself, as they say... Let us go back to the beginning of all this madness...

Our story shall begin in a quaint little town, named Puzzlin, near the center of a region known as Kenewyore. Haven't heard of it? Few have. Their government never really had a stable connection with the other regions nearby. Perhaps this is why their land had rather unique and unusual Pokemon. Of course, the occasional overseas traveler would pop up every now and then. But, listen to me! I'm going on like an old fool, when there's a story to be told! I believe I shall leave the storytelling to a young lad, from the town I had mentioned earlier. He may not seem like much, but believe me, his talents far exceed his appearance. Now, let us truly begin this marvelous tale...

I was in a large empty place. (yeah, I'm real articulate) Anyways, I was looking all around, trying to find something, or anything, in this vast nothingness. I started running, just running through the darkness. Suddenly I saw a light. It seemed to call to me, so I ran toward it. But the closer I seemed to get, the farther it appeared to be. So I kept running. Running...

Then the light grew and grew. I heard a voice talking to me, but I couldn't quite make out what it was saying. As I kept running, I knew I was getting close. As I got so close that I could touch the light, I reached out toward it and the light faded away at my touch. What was before me was now an egg. It stopped, hovering before me in midair, and I stopped to observe it. It was completely white. _Weird for a Pokemon egg_, I thought. _Most eggs have stripes or patterns._

_help...me..._ I heard a strange voice call from nowhere. I thought it was the same one from earlier. It seemed to come from everywhere at once, and yet it was quiet, like the whisper of a child.

"Who are you?" I asked the space, looking around for the source of this voice.

_I am...here_. it said weakly. Was whatever this voice belonged to injured?

"But, where is 'here'?" I asked again. As you could imagine, I was pretty confused.

The voice seemed to laugh, faintly. Then it replied, _Can't you see me? I'm right here._

I was pretty stumped until something clicked in my mind. I turned to the egg and said, "Are you... this egg?"

The voice laughed a little. _Yes, I'm an egg right now. But that doesn't mean I'm any less here than you are.__  
><em>  
>I nodded, trying to make sense of this. "So, you're an egg?"<p>

_Yes_.

"And you're talking to me?"

_Yes_.

"In a big, black empty space?"

_Nope_.

"And... Wait, what?" the something's reply caught me by surprise.

_I'm just in your head!_ the unidentified voice replied cheerfully.

"You're telling me." I mumbled, but it seemed to hear me.

_I mean you're dreaming_. it clarified.

I felt a huge weight drift off my shoulders, just to be replaced with confusion. "But, I've never had a dream this vivid before. And I feel like I understand things well. Not like my other dreams where I mostly just observe what's going on. I feel...awake." I explained awkwardly.

_Well, that's not unusual_. the being replied. _You're not unconscious, just asleep._

"Oh, that clears everything up." I sarcastically muttered. Yet again, it heard me, despite my lowered volume.

_You mind is awake, but your body is asleep_. it further explained, still sounding like it was injured or something.

"Hey, are you okay? You don't sound too good." I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

_You're right, I am injured... I was hurt, somehow. Then I fell asleep and saw you here, so I tried to get your attention and started glowing_.

"Then you led me over here." I finished its explanation.

_Yes, and now we're here. And you are very nice_. it said. I could feel a wave of warmth washing over me.

"Thanks. You're nice too." I told it with a smile.

_I wish... I could find a trainer... As nice as you..._ As it said this, the world began to fade away.

"Wait! Who are you? What's going on?" I called after it. No reply came. I felt myself slowly being pulled back into consciousness, as one phrase repeated itself, in my mind.

_Help...me..._

**Okay – important update for anyone wanting to continue reading this!**

**I've now begun a rewrite of this story (as of March 13, 2014) and will be posting it shortly if you don't see it yet. (same title – Pokémon: Storm in Kenewyore)**

**Once you reach this story's 56****th**** chapter, it will end abruptly with little-to-no-hope of continuing.**

**THIS STORY IS NOT OVER! I will continue to write and complete it – this will all be in the rewrite – just a bit more cleaned up and with some extra details that it needed (also, it includes over 85 original pokémon!). So, thanks for bearing with me and enjoy the story! **

**P.S. The rewrite will include three chapters when it's up!**


	2. Chapter 2: Shall We Gather at the River?

_Uploaded December 25th, 2011_

That morning, I awoke with a headache. It's not really a big deal; it's been happening a lot lately. I've been having odd dreams lately, too. They were all about me running through darkness, but last night's dream was the first one where I actually saw something other than…nothing. I sighed. "Time to get up." I muttered sleepily. I headed to the closet and got changed into an orange t-shirt with a pocket on the front and jeans. I looked at myself in a mirror. I'm white, but I actually have several different backgrounds within a few generations (mostly Irish). I have brown hair, spiked up in the front, and am built fairly. I'm not muscular by any stretch, but I do take care of myself, and my face makes people think I'm older than I am, even though I don't have any facial hair. After getting dressed I put on a pair of comfortable socks, 'cause I was planning on staying home that day.

My mom, dad and sister were headed out for a birthday party. My sister's friend had turned nine and her parents were throwing a party at her house to celebrate. However I, being a 15 year-old, was just going to stay home and have a relaxed day playing my Gameboy or something. Maybe I would go to Route 7 and get my first Pokemon...Nah. Yep, that's right. I don't have a Pokemon yet. Go ahead, laugh, everyone else does. I'm the only person in the whole town without a Pokemon. Even my sister has a cute little Clefairy She found as an egg in the nearby forest one day when she was little. Speaking of which, our town has an odd little quirk. No one uses regular starter Pokemon; we all hatch our first Pokemon from eggs. Usually they find them in Route 7 or 8, where you can often find eggs by the dozen.

At least you used to find them by the dozen. Lately no one can find eggs anywhere, no matter how hard we looked. We even hired a detective to try to find out the problem; someone from a far-away region. Booker or something? Whatever, the point is that there are no eggs for miles. It wasn't that the population was decreasing, full nests were everywhere, but we would never take our starter eggs from nests. That's just wrong. So, just my luck, the egg decline happens just as I'm turning ten. My friends were either lucky and found one in some remote place like a river or cliff-side or their parents bought them, but no matter how hard I searched I just couldn't find a single one. I considered just catching a Pokemon in the wild, but I wasn't gonna be the one to break a tradition older than the dirt on the ground.

One time, just over a year ago on my fourteenth birthday, my parents had gotten the whole town to look for an egg for me since I was, literally, the only person without a Pokemon. Our town was small and close-knit, so everyone offered to help and we ended up searching for ten hours. We only took short breaks for food and to discuss where we had and hadn't searched. Somehow no one found a single egg, and ever since that day someone or another had gone out, searching for eggs each and every day. Eventually I told everyone that I would handle it myself. So, I kept looking, but after a while I just gave up and accepted my fate as "the guy without a Pokemon". "Storm?" my mom called. Yes, I have an unusual name.

"Yeah, mom?" I called back.

"We're ready to leave." I hopped off my bed and went to the living room, where they were all waiting for me.

"Bye Tiger, see you in a while." my dad said, giving me a hug. (Families hug, dang it!)

"Bye sweetie." my mom said, giving me a kiss.

"Bye, bro." my sister said, giving me a big hug and running out the door.

"We'll be back in a bit, Storm. Be good." mom called, walking out the door.

"No promises." I called back, closing the door behind them. So, after they left, I went to my room to grab some stuff. "So what if I haven't found an egg yet?" I asked myself, feeling lucky. "Doesn't mean it's impossible, right?" Alright, so maybe I hadn't completely given up. I still went searching when I was feeling lucky. So I gathered my egg hunting supplies and set off to look around Route 7. I locked the house and headed out. I knew by heart that several eggs used to be found in Route 7, Deino, Growlithe, Ditto, Phanpy, the list goes on.

"So, where should I check first?" I asked myself.

_The river..._ I jumped. Did I just hear someone say "the river"? _Hurry...please..._ I heard it again. Well, I guess it couldn't hurt. The river was only a short jog away.

So, I started off toward the river. It was pretty uneventful. I saw a family of Donphan and Phanpy, and some Ditto having a transformation contest, seeing who the better Hydreigon was. I hated those things. Luckily, most Zweilous didn't get to that high of a level, or they just secluded themselves to a cave or something if they did. I'd hate to run into one of those.

So, as I thought about these things and other stuff, like what we were having for dinner, I arrived at the river. It was small and the only Pokemon around there were usually Magikarp. Not a Pokemon of great interest to me. I looked around the river. I saw some Magikarp, a Pidgey, more Magikarp, rocks, Magikarp, grass, and, surprisingly, more Magikarp! I let out a sigh and sat on a smooth rock nearby.

I decided to take a look at my life, for no particular reason. Maybe because I was wondering what I ever did to deserve this. I was always different from everyone else. I was always really energetic and playful as a kid, and I also loved Pokemon. But, as I grew older, I seemed to become more distant and it became difficult to approach people. I usually just played with the kids that I knew, but they mostly left once they turned ten and started their Pokemon journey. Of course I didn't leave because I didn't have any Pokemon. My parents offered to buy me one but I wanted to find an egg, like most of the people in our town did. Besides, we weren't exactly the richest family around. We weren't poor or anything, we were very blessed, but like most everyone, we just had to be careful about what we bought, and eggs were a HUGE cost. A single egg costs 50,000 Poke! (To clarify, 10 Poke is one dollar)

As I assessed my life I saw something floating down the river out of the corner of my eye. It was round and kind of shiny. It seemed to bob on the surface and I noticed a crack in its side...Wait a second. Something round, shiny and with a crack in its... shell!

"No way!" I yelled in sheer joy, jumping up from my rock. "It's an egg! A real egg!" I almost did a jig, but soon remembered that the egg was floating down a current toward some rapids a little ways down and had a crack in it. If I didn't get it out soon, all I would have was scrambled egg on my hands. So, I took my phone out of my pocket and sat it on the rock. The egg was getting closer and I didn't have much time so I jumped right in. The water gave me a chill, but I was too busy trying to see the egg to notice a little thing like possible pneumonia. I looked around and quickly spotted it. It was going straight down the current, toward me! So I opened my arms and grabbed it quickly.

I just stood there, water up to my waist, looking at the egg. I couldn't help but break out in a huge grin. "Finally." I whispered, before shouting, "I finally have a Pokemon egg! WOOHOO!" I felt like I could jump to the moon and back. My dancing was cut short, however, once I took a closer look at the egg. It was white. Just white, no stripes, no patterns... Just like the one in my dream.

I stood there for a moment, thinking, but a loud trumpet from a Donphan brought me out of my thoughts. The Donphan looked at me angrily, then I got nervous. Was this Donphan's egg? I hoped not. Then I noticed something else. All sorts of Pokemon from the area were gathered around the edge of the river, and they were all looking at me. "Heh-heh. Nice Pokemon." I said, slowly walking to shore, trying to find a clear path between the Pokemon.

There were Dittos, Deinos, Zweilous, Solrock, Lunatone, Pidgey, Growlithe and what must have been a whole herd of Donphan and Phanpy. But what had really shocked me was a large, red, dog-like Pokemon in the center of the crowd. I stood in shock. I thought that Pokemon was frightened away by hunters. Not that any hunter could actually catch it, mind you. But there it stood, Arcanine, the rarest Pokemon in this area. The only thing I even know about it is its name!

The Arcanine came closer to the river and looked at me. From where I stood it towered over me. It had a visage of deep concentration, almost like anger. And, even though some might think otherwise, it really didn't help when the big, fire-breathing, hungry-looking dog Pokemon smiled at me. I gulped and continued to look straight into the enormous dog's eyes. I think I once heard that you should never look into a wild Pokemon's eyes, or let it smell fear, but I believe that I was breaking both of those rules, right then. "...Hi." I said awkwardly.

The dog puffed out its chest and let out a cheerful howl. I would've covered my ears if I wouldn't have dropped the egg in doing so. The other Pokemon seemed to smile, but I'm not certain, as I didn't really look that close. (It's especially hard to tell with those Deino) They all left shortly, leaving me alone, and drenched, with my new egg. I looked around to make sure I was alone. Once that was confirmed I looked to my egg and said to myself, "I have a Pokemon egg." and pinched myself. Nope, I wasn't dreaming.

**Hey!** **A little Christmas present for everyone reading this story, CHAPTER 2! So, Storm's finally found an egg, huh?**

**Anyways, I would like to thank **_**writer's block 2000 **_**for pointing out an *error* in the last chapter. all the words with *asterisks* around them have now been changed to **_**italics**_**.**

**And, i am working feverishly, with new Christmas equipment, to bring you all the next chapters of my stories. So, for now, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! Zzzzzzz...**


	3. Chapter 3: A Meeting With A Sir

_Uploaded January 3rd, 2012 (Happy New Year!)_

If you saw me walking down Route 7 that day, you might have guessed I was happy. Happy? I was ecstatic! Finally, I would have my very own Pokemon. But first, I needed to have that crack in its shell checked out by Nurse Joy. Now, while I was walking home I saw something odd. I saw a chariot on the side of the path. I'd never seen one of those before, so I thought I'd take a look. As I got closer, I noticed the King's flag on it. The King? He never left his castle in Doriant. That's a town up north, near the Kirabor Mountains. So, I went up to it and knocked on the carriage door.

A very well-dressed man exited and sneered at me. "Who are you?" he asked with a glare He had black, slicked-back hair and wore a black, silk suit with black shoes. His face was stern and he basically looked like the kind of person who thought they were better than everyone else.

"I'm me." I answered. By the way, I have the tendency to be a smart-aleck.

His eyes narrowed. "Where are you from?" he asked, ignoring my last answer.

I gave a glare to match his. "Puzzlin. Why do you care?" I asked in retaliation.

He smirked. "Ah, yes. Quaint. I am Sir Roderick Dorfin, an advisor to His Majesty." he said, trying to sound important, but I did mention my tendencies, didn't I?

"Oh! My dearest pardons, Sir. Tis' a great honor to meet you, Nay! To look upon your majestic presence!" I said sarcastically, even throwing in a mock bow, taking care not to drop my new egg.

His sneer returned instantly. "How dare you!" he reached for a pokeball but was stopped.

"Roderick!" a voice said, from inside the carriage.

"This won't take a minute, George." Roderick said, still glaring at me.

"...Very well, then. I'll just tell His Majesty we were late because you had to have a Pokemon battle with a young lad who, how did he put it? Insulted your 'majestic presence'." George finished with a chuckle.

Roderick turned to scowl at George. "Fine." He turned back to me one last time, before leaving. "You'll be first, boy." he said, returning to the carriage and telling the driver to leave.

They left. I was somewhat surprised by their method of transportation, as they had Rapidash pulling their carriage. Usually, anyone in direct contact with the king used Ninetales, or something more "regal", as they call it. "...Blowhard." I said, after a minute. _What was with that whole, "you'll be first" thing? Seriously._

I turned to walk home, my egg in one arm, my phone in the other hand, a proud grin on my face. I had an egg. As I neared my house, I saw my mom at the door. "Storm Craigson!" she called, "Where have you been? We've been worried sick about-! Why are you so wet? What have you been-...! Is that a Pokemon egg?"

I sighed. What can I say? She's a mom. "Hi, mom. I found an egg in the river." I said casually.

She just looked at me for a moment, then grinned. "Oh! You finally have an egg!" she pulled me into a suffocating hug. "I'm so happy for you!" she yelled in my ear.

"Really? Couldn't tell." I joked, hugging her back while still attempting to protect my egg.

"We have to celebrate!" she yelled, looking me over. I saw her grin fade as she remembered my clothes. "Why are you wet?"

I gave a sheepish grin. "Long story?"

She smiled and shook her head. "Well, come on in and get out of those wet clothes." I smiled back and walked inside.

Later that night, we sat around the dinner table and ate, while I explained how I had found my egg. (leaving out the odd voice I had heard) "Then, while I was walking home I saw a carriage with the King's flag, so-"

"The King's flag?" dad asked. He was understandably surprised.

"Yep, it was definitely the royal flag." I confirmed.

"I didn't think anyone from the King's court ever came around here. Who was in it?" mom asked.

"Was it the King?" my sister asked eagerly.

I laughed a little. "No, it was Sir Roderick, or something." After I said this, I noticed that I couldn't hear any silverware clattering, so I looked up to see that my mom and dad were staring at me.

"Sir Roderick Dorfin?" my mom asked.

"Yeah. You heard of him?" I asked, some genuine curiosity brewing.

Mom nodded. "He's one of the King's advisors. He was even an advisor to King Griffith."

_Wow._ That's what went through my mind. King Griffith was the last king, before he passed away. He was the greatest king in our country's history; he was the one who first introduced our region to the outside world. "Really? Wow." was all I could say.

"Did you talk to him?"

I was brought out of my thoughts by my mom's question. "What?"

"Did you talk to him?" she repeated.

I wasn't quite sure what to say. 'Yes, mom. I insulted one of the most influential members of the King's court.' No, definitely not that. "Not really. I just heard him and some other guy talking. Then the carriage drove away." I lied. I don't usually lie, so I tried to hide my face by eating.

"Oh. Well, that was still interesting. It would be great for you to meet him. He knows a lot about Pokemon."

I laughed on the inside. _Yeah, I'm sure that'd be great._ Before you freak out, yes, I had the egg checked out. Nurse Joy said that the crack wasn't dangerous, and that it shouldn't affect the Pokemon inside. You can imagine how relieved I was. Well, nighttime fell pretty quick and I was eager for sleep. I changed into my pajamas and fell asleep pretty quickly...

**Well, I don't know about you, but I don't think Storm likes Roderick much, do you?**

**Yep, this is where things start to pick up. Please enjoy, as the juicy parts come next.**


	4. Chapter 4: Shortest Chapter Ever!

_Uploaded January 10, 2012_

I was in that place again. I had drifted off to sleep, and into that black space of nothingness. But I wasn't running, I was standing, looking at my egg.

_Hello._ I heard it say, in its strange voice that seemed to come from everywhere.

"Hello." I replied. "Are you..."

_The egg you found today? Yes, I am. Thank you for saving me. _it replied happily.

"Well, I was glad to help, and it didn't hurt that I really wanted a Pokemon." I finished sheepishly.

_Actually, that works really well; I really wanted a trainer!_ it said. The injury I had heard in its voice last time seemed to have disappeared.

"Awesome. So, are you feeling better than the last time we talked?" I asked it.

_Yes, a lot. I'm still pretty tired, though._

I nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense." I thought for a moment, then asked it, "So, can you tell me what kind of Pokemon you are?"

_No._ it replied, a little sadness in its voice._ I can't really see myself. I can't really see anything outside of my egg, either. Except for talking to you here, of course._

"Yeah, that makes sense, too. Oh, well. Guess it'll be a surprise, then!" I said cheerfully.

_Yeah! That sounds good!_ it cheered back.

"Great, so I guess I'll see you when you hatch. Oh, speaking of which, do you know how long that'll be? Until you hatch, that is."

It retained its cheerfulness as it replied, _Nope, it'll be another surprise!_

I laughed. "Well, you're definitely going to be an energetic Pokemon, aren't you?"

We laughed together as the world of nothingness faded away once again.

**Yes, it's the shortest chapter ever, but fear not! I'm uploading chapter 5 in about… 2 minutes. ENJOY!  
><strong>


	5. Chapter 5: A Family Crisis

_Uploaded January 10, 2012_

The next morning, I had definitely woken up on the right side of the bed. I was happy, energized and ready for the day.

I walked into the kitchen to get breakfast, but was met by an odd sight; my family was sitting around the table, looking pretty down.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked, more than a little concerned.

Mom looked at me with tears streaming down her face. "Oh, Storm." she got up and hugged me.

Now i was worried. After she let me go, I asked, "What's wrong? Is everyone okay?"

"Yes, we're all healthy, but..." my mom stopped, tears welling in her eyes.

"Storm, we're poor." my dad said bluntly.

I was stunned. We had saved up every year, and always watched what we bought. How could we be poor?

"But, how? How could we be... poor?" I said, absolutely stunned.

"We don't really know." my dad answered. "I went to the bank this morning, to make a withdrawal, and the bank was closed...Permanently."

I was speechless.

"We called the police," my mom continued, "but all they could tell us was that the bank owners had disappeared, along with all the money in the bank."

"Wait! Don't we have...anything?" I asked desperately.

"No money." my mom answered, sniffling. My sister was crying; it looked like she had been for a while, and my dad was trying to comfort her.

I was still trying to process this. We were poor. Out of money. Bankrupt. Was there nothing we could do?

_...! That's it!_

"No, we don't have nothing. We have this!" I held up my egg.

My mom's eyes widened. "Sweetheart, no! We couldn't sell-"

"No, no, no! Not sell it, raise it!" I interjected, "If I raise it and start traveling, I can battle Gym Leaders and get money, then I can send that money to you all, and we'll have money!" I explained, growing excited at the solution I had come up with.

They looked at each other, and my sister stopped crying. "Storm, you can't. We can't make you do that." my mom said, obviously worried.

"Come on, you know I've always wanted to go on an adventure, anyways. Besides, I'd only have to get enough money to get us through the first few weeks; then you guys' jobs can take care of the rest. What do you think?" I explained.

They looked at each other. "Give us a minute, Storm. Go play with your sister." my dad said.

"Okay." me and my sister went into the other room while our parents talked.

After a while of playing, mom and dad called us back in. We talked about it for a bit and, ultimately, they agreed that it would help, but told me that I was only allowed to send them half of the money I got during my adventure and to keep the rest for food and supplies. After dinner we agreed that I would leave the day after my egg hatched.

...

It had been about a week since then, and I still had those dreams, but they were mostly just me and the egg talking and getting to know each other, so that we would be closer during our adventure. That day, I was cleaning my egg, when I noticed that it was shining brighter than usual.

"Wow. I must be doing good, for it to be this clean." I remarked. But then it started glowing.

My eyes widened. "Mom! Dad! Sis! Come in here!" I yelled much louder than I should have.

"What's wrong!" my mom yelled.

"Nothing's wrong, my egg's hatching!" I replied zealously.

My mom gasped and they all ran over. My sister was more than excited: she loved seeing Pokemon eggs hatch.

As its glow began intensifying I was holding my breath, the anticipation welling up inside me.

It finally flashed a brilliant white light and the glow faded away, leaving my new Pokemon in its place.

I beamed, it was a...a...what was it?

"Umm, what kind of Pokemon is that?" I asked, definitely confused.

It was a little red bird. It kinda resembled a Torchic, but it was different in a few ways: It was a crimson red, had one long feather, sticking out from it's head and leaning back. Its eyes were big as tennis balls, and it had chicken feet. Yup, it had wings too. Little ones, so it probably couldn't fly.

"Well, actually... I don't know." my dad admitted. He's usually an expert on Pokemon breeds, being a researcher, and all.

"I've never seen a Pokemon like that. Let me go check our books." my mom suggested, taking my sister to find said books.

So while my dad thought and my mom and sister looked for books, I decided to check out my new Pokemon.

I looked it up and down, it looked me up and down. I leaned closer, it leaned closer. I tilted my head to the side, it tilted its head to the side.

Then an idea popped into my head and I decided to test something. "Hello?" I asked it.

"Karry!" it replied.

"...Karry?" I asked.

"Karry, Karryash!" it cheeped.

"Oh, so you're Karryash?"

"Karry, Karry! Karryash!" it cheeped happily, jumping as it did so.

I smiled. "Cool. I like that name, so I don't think I'm gonna nickname you."

"Karry." it said, nodding in what I guessed was agreement.

"Alright, that's settled." I said, folding my arms. "Now, what type of Pokemon are you?"

It took a couple of sharp breaths, and sneezed. This normally wouldn't have fazed me. Then again, most sneezes don't catch my shirt on fire.

"OOH! AH! HOT!" I yelled, trying to put the fire out. My dad helped me to get the shirt off, and smothered the flame, while I got another, remarkably identical, shirt.

"Okay, Fire-type. Got it." I said, sitting back down by it. It looked sad now.

I smiled and patted it on its head. "It's okay, I know you didn't mean to." I told it reassuringly. It cheered up and cheeped its name some more.

"Here! I think I've found it!" my mom said, coming back in with my sister carrying a large book.

"It took a while, but I found it In 'Rare and Elusive Pokemon'." she said, taking the book from my sister and showing it to me.

"Mm-hmm. So what does it say?" I asked impatiently.

"Just a minute." she said, flipping through the book. "Ah! Karryash, the Fire Chick Pokemon. It's a duel-type of Fire and Flying, and has three stages. Well, sort of." she explained awkwardly.

This got my attention. "Sort of? What does that mean?" I asked, eyebrow raised.

"Let me see. Huh, it says here that no one has ever seen the supposed second-stage Pokemon in centuries, so there's no actual proof to say that it has a second-stage evolution. The only records show a Pokemon called 'Furyash', which Karryash evolves into at level 24. Does that help?"

"Some." I replied. "Does it say what they like to eat?"

She checked the book again. "Yes, it list a recipe for Pokefood that will help it grow, and tastes good to it."

I nodded. "That's good. Then i can start my adventure and help get us out of debt." We had run a fair credit bill, by paying off other bills.

Everyone's expression changed to sorrow. "But Storm'll fix it, right?" my little sister asked me with wide eyes and an even wider smile.

I couldn't help but smile back at her. "Right, sis. Everything'll be back to normal in no time!" I said, getting up to leave.

"...As long as I don't screw up on my journey" I thought as I went back to my room with Karryash, to finish packing.

**Chapter 5! I hope everyone is enjoying this story. Also Karryash is pronounced Carry-ash. I'm planning on making a "story" about all of my original pokemon soon. It'll be similar to a pokedex. Next chapter, the adventure begins!**

**Please review, kind people!**


	6. Pokefile: Karryash

_Uploaded January 13th, 2012_

**Yo! For those of you who read my Kenewyore pokedex, _Pokemon of Kenewyore_, I have been informed by a reviewer that lists, (such as a pokedex), are not allowed. Sooooo, I am going to post the entries here! And, so they're considered a part of the story, these are some of the pages of Storm's dad's Pokemon research files. (Yay loopholes!) So, first up, Karryash!**

Karryash - the Fire Chick Pokemon

A basic Pokemon. Evolves into Furyash when it reaches level 24.

Flying/Fire dual-type Pokemon

Small fire bird.  
>Height: 1ft. 6in.<br>Weight: 5.7lb.

Description: Its head is larger than its body, and it has a small feather lying back on its head. It has a small beak, and four-toe talons. Sneezes embers. It has large eyes, roughly the size of tennis balls. It is often considered cute, and is sometimes mistaken for Torchic. Some studies even suggest that it's a distant cousin to the fire-chicken Pokemon. Wingspan: 8in. It can fly, if only a little.

Habitats include palm trees in warm climates and near volcanic areas.

Did You Know?

~A Karryash cannot survive if its body temperature falls below 80 F. or if it rises above 150 F.  
>~In ancient times, Karryash was believed to be a baby of one of the legendary "Bird Trio" of Kanto, Moltres.<p>

Normal color: Crimson Red  
>Shiny color: Deep Gold<p>

**I do thank the reviewer for informing me of this oversight on my part, and hope that you all enjoy my stories. Please comment on how I did on my first entry! Thank you!**


	7. Chapter 6: Alysson!

**Hello, all! Today, I introduce to you, A NEW CHARACTER! Behold!**

"It's almost time." I said quietly, sitting on my bed. Yep, it was time. Me and Karryash had been getting ready all last night and this morning. In that time, I learned that Karryash had two attacks: Peck and Sand Attack. And, before you ask, no, I didn't have a dream where I talked to Karryash last night. I didn't have any dream, actually. Maybe it's because he's hatched. Yep, it's a he, it's definitely a he. Now it was one minute until noon, when I decided I would leave to start my adventure. Any second now my parents would call, to tell me it was time to go.

I've wondered about what I would do, during my adventure. I always liked watching Pokemon battles, so maybe I'd take the Gym challenge. Yeah, that sounded good.

"Storm, it's time!" my mom called.

I let out a sigh of anticipation. "Let's get going, Karryash." I said to my new partner.

It cheeped in response, "Ash-ash, Karryash!"

We went to the town square, for the big send-off. It looked like everyone in town had showed up.

"Storm," my dad said, "you remember what we've taught you, and be careful, okay?"

I nodded, "Okay, dad." then I turned to my mom.

She looked like she was about to cry. "Storm." she grabbed me in a hug.

After we had all said our goodbyes, I headed for Route 8, the closest way to Ironhill City; the site of the nearest Pokemon League Gym. As I stepped onto Route 8, I felt prepared, ready to take on the world... That is, until a Rattata jumped up and knocked me over. Luckily, everyone had already gone inside.

Well, moving on from that little encounter, I went forth into unknown territory...unknown to most people, that is. I, on the other hand, had been down Route 8 many times and could practically walk it blindfolded.

"Now, where to start?" I wondered aloud.

"Tyyyyyyy!" Suddenly a Tyrogue jumped out of nowhere and kicked me in the head, knocking me flat on my rear.

"Ow! What was that for?" I yelled at the stupid mini-fighter.

"Ty-Tyro!" it yelled, getting in a fighting stance and hopping from foot-to-foot.

I was about to leave, but then I realized that this was the perfect opportunity to start training Karryash. "Karryash, you up for this?" I asked him. He tweeted and started jumping, so I took it as a yes. "Alright, Karryash, peck attack!"

Karryash rushed Tyrogue and pecked him. The Tyrogue staggered backwards, but retaliated with tackle. "Karreeee!" it cheeped, rolling on the ground, right into a rock.

"Ooh! That had to hurt." I rushed over to him. "Are you okay?" I asked with concern.

It got up and shook it off. "Kary-karry!" it cheeped energetically.

I smirked. "Good, now let's show this guy some teamwork."

You see, me and Karryash had worked on some battle ideas, before we left. And now it was time to test 'em out. "Karryash, corkscrew!" I called. Karryash rushed like before, but it jumped and spun in midair, gaining momentum and doing much more damage.

"Tyyy!" the Tyrogue hit the ground with a thud. I was about to leave but my conscience was nagging me, so I decided to leave one of my Oran Berries for it to have when it woke up.

Unbeknownst to me, the Tyrogue had seen this gesture of kindness.

...

I traversed Route 8, battling a few Pokemon for experience and giving Karryash potions as he needed them, when we saw a trainer. She looked lost, so I decided to go talk to her. "Hey." I called, getting her attention.

She turned to face me. She was about my age, had a light complexion, long blonde-brown hair, tied in a braid and a rather young face. She was wearing a yellow top with a flower on it, jean capris, and crocs. Slung over her back was a small, orange backpack that was half-open. I imagine the reason for this was the multiple papers in her hands. "Are you lost?" I asked sympathetically. I knew how annoying it was to be lost, believe me.

Then she got angry. "What? Of course not! I'm just... sightseeing."

"Sightseeing, huh?" I asked. No, I didn't believe her.

She stared me down. "Yes, I am. Now, if you would move along, we can all just go on with our lives." she grabbed a scooter I hadn't noticed before and pulled it with her, past me. I noticed that the wheels squeaked in the grass, so I just stood there after she left.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1..." on cue, I heard a yell. "Yep." I smirked and went toward it.

There she was, Growlithe barking at her, as she fought them off with a stick. "Stay back!" she shouted, "I'm warning you!"

I walked over, near the Growlithe. "Growlithe have very sensitive hearing, ya'know. The squeaking of your scooter probably startled 'em." I explained with a smug smirk. Okay, maybe I was being a little mean.

"Just get rid of them, jerk!" she yelled.

...I stand corrected.

"Alright, alright." I said, grabbing some Aspear Berries out of my bag.

"Here, Growlithe. I have a treat for you." I coaxed. I had run into similar situations myself, so I knew how to handle it. The Growlithe seemed wary at first but one must have recognized me, because he came over immediately and started eating. The others saw that it was safe and joined him. "Good Growlithe." I said, scratching the first one behind its ears. The happy Growlithe wagged its tail.

The girl noticed that I had calmed the Growlithe and tried to come closer, but they all ran off as soon as she did. "Wait, come back!" she called. "I'm not gonna hurt you!"

But they were gone. I got up and dusted my pants off. "Honestly, did you think they would trust you after you started swinging that stick around?" I asked.

"Well... I was just protecting myself." she muttered.

"Hey, no worries." I said. "So, where are you headed?"

"Littlelog Village!" she exclaimed.

"Really? I'm headed there too, on my way to Ironhill."

"No way! That's awesome! Hey, wanna travel together?"

I was a little surprised by this sudden invitation. "Really? What for?"

She smiled. "Well, you seem to be good with Pokemon and I don't like to hurt them in battles, so..." she stopped, looking unsure of how to continue.

I smiled back. "Sure, why not."

"Alright lemme just grab my scoo-..." she stopped mid-sentence, looking at something off to the side.

"What's wro-Oh."

We looked at her scooter to see it charred and broken. My Karryash was sitting next to it, sneezing embers... Uh-oh.

"My scooter! What happened to my scooter!" she shrieked. Unfortunately, she spotted my fire bird. "You! Did you do this?" she yelled at Karryash.

This apparently scared Karryash, because, rather than answering, he ran over to me and hid behind my leg, therefore directing her attention to me. "You." Oh boy, here we go. "Your bird burned my bike?" she asked, deadpanning.

"Um, well, it could've been the Growlithe." I suggested half-heartedly.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "No, the Growlithe were over there, my scooter was over here." she said, gesturing. "Your bird ruined my bike."

"Um, well, I... suppose it's... possible?" I half-admitted.

She glared at me for what seemed like forever. "Alysson."

"...What?" this sudden word had caught me by surprise.

"My name is Alysson, remember it." she said, turning and walking away.

"...Littlelog's this way." I said, pointing the opposite direction from where she was headed. She stopped, turned, and passed me without a word. Once I was sure she was a good distance ahead of us we followed, Karryash finding a good riding perch on the top of my head.

**Alysson was my sister's idea, actually. And, next chapter,** **ANOTHER NEW CHARACTER! Thank you, and GOODNIGHT!**

**Please review.**


	8. Chapter 7: The Bane Of My Existence

_Uploaded Jan. 26th, 2012_

Finally, we came to Littlelog Village, a small village, between Puzzlin and Ironhill.

"I don't care who you are, I told you to buzz off!"

"And I told you to show some respect to your betters!"

Now this I had to see. I walked into the village square to see a crowd gathered around. I went over to a man in the crowd and asked him, "Hey, what's going on?"

He looked at me with surprise. "You don't know?" he said. "Some smart-mouth kid insulted one of the King's advisors and he wouldn't apologize. Now it looks like they're gonna battle!"

I felt a cringe. "An advisor to the King, you say?" I asked nervously.

"Yeah." he said, trying to get a better view through the crowd. "Sir Roderick, I think."

Now I felt a shiver. "Sir... Sir Roderick, huh?" Yeah, Sir Roderick. You remember him, the guy I insulted about a week ago. I made a crack about insulting his majestic presence. Yeah, that guy. I put Karryash in its pokeball and snaked my way through the crowd right up to the front.

On one side I saw a teenager, a little older than me, with a Porygon in front of him that looked ready to fight. On the other side was him, Sir Roderick. He had that same sneer on his face, like he had just walked into a public restroom and taken a deep breath in. In front of him was a Mightyena who didn't just look ready to fight, it looked ready to rip that Porygon to pieces.

"Porygon, conversion!" the teen commanded. The Porgon's body glowed yellow for a moment and stopped.

"Mightyena, bite!" Roderick ordered.

"Yena!" the Mightyena roared, sprinting to Porygon.

"Agility, quick!" the teen ordered. Porygon zipped out of the way circling Mightyena, and creating doubles of itself all around the circle.

"Mightyena, odor sleuth and tackle!" Roderick countered. Mightyena sniffed the air and charged at one of the Porygon, knocking it out of the circle and dispelling the copies. "Now, dark pulse!"

"Miiiiii-" Mightyena charged a sphere of dark energy and shot it off, "TYENAAA!"

The energy ball hit Porygon, straight on. "Pory-y-y-y!" it cried electronically.

"Porygon!" the teen ran over to check his Pokemon.

"Get it up, this battle isn't over yet!" Roderick ordered. The teen didn't respond. He just returned his Pokemon and walked away. "Rrr, you little runt. Mightyena-!" as he spoke, someone put their hand on his shoulder.

"Now, now, Roderick. You must learn to control that temper." the newcomer said. By his voice, I realized this was George, the man who was with Roderick in the carriage the day I met him.

George wore a similar outfit to Roderick, the only real differences being that it was orange and he wore a red tie with it. His hair was a bright blonde and obviously styled. His face showed more youth than Roderick's, but he had an air of dignity unlike that of a young man.

"...Very well. But, one day..." Roderick muttered.

"Yes, yes. One day all will bow to your 'majestic presence'." George chuckled.

Roderick glared at him. "I swear, I'll wring that kid's neck one day, for giving you that line."

George laughed, "And I swear I shall reward him for giving me that line." He said as the two walked away into the crowd.

Anyways, I decided to go check on the guy who was battling Roderick. I found him at the Pokemon center having dinner. _Dinnertime already? Wow! Time really flies, I guess_. "Hi." I greeted.

He looked up at me. He had short, black hair that looked messed up on purpose. He was wearing a black t-shirt with a black jacket and, of course, black jeans and shoes. He had a light complexion, contrasting his dark clothing, but he didn't look Goth, punk or emo. More like he just liked the color black. Currently, his mouth was filled with baked potato. He swallowed his potato and looked me over. "What do you want?" he asked, going back to eating.

Yeah, that annoyed me a little. "I saw your battle with Roderick." I said, trying to have a conversation with the guy.

"Don't you mean 'Sir' Roderick." he sneered, mocking Roderick's sneer.

I smirked. "Oh yes, Sir 'I'm an advisor to His Majesty!' Roderick." I said with my second language, sarcasm.

This got a chuckle out of him. "Nice one."

"Thanks." I said, taking the seat across from him. "So, what was that attack your Porygon used? The first one. I think it was conversion?"

"Yeah, that's it. It makes the user turn into the same type as one of its moves." he explained. "Oh, right. My name's Bane." he added, extending his hand.

"Storm." we shook. "So, are you taking the Gym Challenge?"

He nodded. "Yep, I think it'll help me become an awesome trainer, and I get to travel around all sorts of cool places." he explained excitedly.

"Cool, me too." I said. "Maybe we should travel together."

"Sounds like a plan." he said, going back to eating. As he did, I opened my pack and took out a sandwich I had packed. He looked at me oddly. "Why are you eating that? You do know that trainers get a discount on meals, right?"

I nearly choked on my sandwich. "Say what?" I asked him.

"Yeah, there's a kind of a system of discounts with badges, too. Wanna hear how it works?"

I nodded, but before he could answer we were interrupted. "You!"

I turned to face the speaker. "Oh, no." I muttered.

"You're the kid whose bird ruined my scooter!" Alysson yelled, walking over to the table.

"Hey, Alysson." I said, trying to ignore her.

Bane looked between us. "So, what's with you two?" he asked, sipping his coke.

"Nothing." I answered quickly, still trying in vain to escape her wrath.

Alysson glared at me. "Nothing? Your stupid bird barbecued my scooter!" Yeah, I wasn't gonna be able to ignore her.

I glared back. "Karryash is not a stupid bird."

That started our glaring contest that lasted until Nurse Joy came over. "Bane?" she asked the only one of us that wasn't having a glaring match.

Bane looked up. "That's me, how's Porygon?"

She smiled at him. "It's just fine. Here's its pokeball." she said, handing it to him.

He took his pokeball and put it on his belt. "Thanks, nurse."

She nodded, said, "It's what I do." and left.

After Nurse Joy left, me and Bane went back to eating... For a moment.

"Hey, remember me?" Alysson asked, eager to get back on topic.

"Yeah, nice to see you, how've you been?" I replied smartly.

She sighed. "You're hopeless. So, when are we leaving?"

I was confused. "What?"

"We agreed to travel together, right? When are we leaving?" she repeated.

"Uhh, well I-"

"Can't." Bane interceded. "He and I are traveling together so move along, girlie."

_Oh snap_. "Girlie?" Alysson snarled.

Bane smirked. "Yeah, what of it?"

"Grr!" Alysson growled. "That's it! We'll settle this with a battle!" she said, pulling a pokeball from her belt. By the looks of it this was her only Pokemon.

Bane's smirk turned into a cocky grin. "Really? Winner gets to travel with Storm?"

"Sounds good to me." Alysson confirmed.

"Um, can I say something?" I asked, wanting to have an opinion on who would be traveling with me.

"You stay out of this!" they both yelled simultaneously.

I slunk back into my seat as they left. Then I got an idea and called Karryash out of its pokeball. "Hey Karryash, you feel up to a battle?"

"Kary-Karry!" it cheeped peppily, jumping up and down.

I walked outside to see that Alysson and Bane were just about to call out their Pokemon and start the battle. "Hold it!" I yelled. They both looked over at me. "You guys can't decide who's traveling with me without me, can you?" I asked, walking over. "So," I continued, "I've decided to join you guys' battle."

They were certainly surprised. "But... Is that even allowed? A three-way battle?" Alysson asked.

Bane shrugged. "It's possible, just not common."

I smirked, "Well then, the winner gets to decide who travels with me. Agreed?"

They looked at each other then turned to me. "Alrighty then!", "Sounds like a plan." Alysson and Bane agreed. I nodded to Karryash, who was on my shoulder. He jumped down and took his position.

Bane called out his Porygon, "Come on out, Porygon!"

And Alysson got hers, "Ready, Normlos!" and out of her pokeball came a small, black and white striped snake. It was just a little black and white snake, forked tongue and all.

I smiled. "Cool, never seen that Pokemon before." I commented.

She smiled back, "Thanks, I do try for originality." Then we all got ready for our three-way battle.

Bane called out, "Get ready,"

Alysson continued, "Get set,"

I finished, "Go!"

**Bane has entered the building!**

**Shut up, Bane. Now, as you may know, my KH fiction is over (that's why this chapter had a slight delay) and now I can focus on this a little more! Which is still going to be difficult, because I'm currently writing a research paper. Thank you, readers, and I would thank the reviewers, but I only have one. (and I thanked them back in chapter) Please review, also I edited my settings to allow people who aren't logged in to review. TY!**


	9. Pokefile: Normlos

_Uploaded Jan. 29th, 2012_

Normlos - the Snake Pokemon

A basic Pokemon. Its evolutions are, currently, unknown. More details will come, pending further studies…

Normal-type

a small snake Pokemon.

Height: 1ft. 7.5in.

Weight: 14lb.

Description: A small, black-and-white snake, with 4 small fangs, and a forked red tongue. It is easily considered cute by most people and has a tendency to hiss when happy, unlike most snake Pokemon. It is striped horizontally. Experts say that it and the Eevee family are similar in many ways, save for appearance. For one, it evolves into many different evolutions. For another, all of its evolutions have different types from the main "branching Pokemon", Normlos. It walks by slithering, and often acts somewhat childish.

Habitats are mainly domestic areas, including homes, Pokemon Reserves and public parks.

Did you know?

~Normlos love tomatoes, and tomato berries.

~A Normlos can learn powerful Flying-type, Electric-type or Fire-type moves at hatching, depending on what species its parents are.

Normal color: Black and White stripes  
>Shiny color: Blue and White stripes<p> 


	10. Chapter 8: Battle of Three!

_Uploaded February 1st, 2012  
><em>

I opened the match. "Karryash, peck Porygon!" I called.

Karryash rushed Porygon, but Bane countered. "Porygon, agility now!" he yelled. Porygon narrowly avoided Karryash's peck and swiftly floated in circles, making copies of itself just as it had done when fighting Roderick's Mightyena.

"Normlos, headbutt!" Alysson called, making her first move of the match. Her snake Pokemon slithered past a Porygon copy and hit Karryash head-on.

It screeched, flying off its feet. "Karryash, shake it off and counter with a corkscrew!" I yelled. I did care about the damage it sustained but you can't call a time-out every time your Pokemon's hit, now can you?

Karryash landed on its feet and rushed into a corkscrew peck, at one of the Porygon. Luck must have been on my side, because this turned out to be the real one, and it was knocked off balance. I smirked. "Hurry and peck it, Karryash!"

Karryash didn't miss a beat and pecked Porygon, landing a definite critical hit. "Po-o-o-o-or!" the pink-and-blue Pokemon yelled in its electronic voice, falling on its side.

"Porygon, get up!" Bane pleaded. "Come on, you can beat these guys!" the Porygon got up, looking ready for battle. Bane gave a smirk. "Alright, now show 'em your flash cannon!" he yelled as Porygon charged a silver sphere of energy.

"Por-por-por-y-GON!" it shouted, shooting off the energy ball.

Karryash dodged, but Normlos took the brunt of it. "Normlo!" it shouted, flailing through the air.

"Normlos!" Alysson shouted. "Try to counter with bounce!"

"What!" Bane yelled. He was surprised, and I gotta admit I was too. Bounce is a pretty powerful move for such a little Pokemon to know.

Nevertheless, it bounced off the ground landing right on Porygon and amazingly KOing it. "Poryyyyyy..." it droned, as it ran down.

"Porygon!" Bane yelled before rushing over and pulling it out of the battlefield.

_And then there were two._ "Just you and me." Alysson said with a cocky smirk.

I returned it with a cockier one, if that was possible. "Not for long." I replied.

Alysson nodded. "Normlos, bounce!" she commanded, and her Normlos bounced into the sky.

Bane had dropped off his Porygon to Nurse Joy and had decided to watch the rest of the match. "Karryash, fleetfoot!" I yelled. You remember those strategies me and Karryash worked on? That's right, corkscrew wasn't the only one. Karryash ran around, in an assumed spastic frenzy. However, this had the desired effect of confusing Normlos on where to land.

"Focus, Normlos!" Alysson yelled, but Karryash was just too agile and Normlos missed by well over a foot.

"Corkscrew, now!" I commanded. Karryash did an agile corkscrew into Normlos, knocking it over.

"Normlos, get up!" Alysson cried out desperately. Normlos tried to pull its head up but it fell straight down, efficiently KO'd.

"Yes!" I cheered, my victory claimed. "Great job, Karryash!" I added, congratulating my Pokemon on a battle well fought, even if it was a short one.

My little fire bird jumped for joy. "Karry! Karry! Karry!" it chirped happily.

Alysson went over and picked up her Pokemon. "Great job, Normlos. You take a good rest now, kay?" she said as she called it back into its pokeball. Then I returned Karryash and we both put our Pokemon in the capable hands of Nurse Joy.

Afterward, all three of us, me Alysson and Bane, went over to the dining area and sat at a table to talk. Bane and Alysson were on opposite sides of the table, while I sat in-between them. "So," Bane started, "since you won, who gets to go with you?"

"Yeah, are you traveling alone?" Alysson asked, a bit of apprehension in her voice.

I looked at them quizzically. "What's the big attraction of traveling with me, in the first place?" I asked, unsure of where my newfound popularity came from.

Alysson shrugged. "Well, it's like I said before, I don't really like hurting Pokemon who are just trying to defend their territory, and you're really good at handling Pokemon, so.." she trailed off, looking down at the table.

Bane smirked. "You seem like a cool guy and you're definitely an awesome trainer. It'd be great to be able to spar with you, and think about strategies for Gym battles together." he explained with a somewhat competitive fire in his voice.

I nodded, both of their reasons making good sense. "Okay then... I've decided that you're both coming with me!" Unfortunately, this his had a different reaction than I had hoped for.

"Me and him! Together? No way!" Alysson shouted indignantly.

Bane scowled. "Believe me, girlie, the feeling's mutual." he said distastefully.

"I swear, if you call me that one more time..." she threatened darkly.

I slammed my hands on the table forcefully, drawing attention from practically everyone at the center. "Look, if you two hate each other that's fine with me, but I'm leaving tomorrow morning at 8:00. Either or both of you are welcome to come, but please don't make me listen to your arguing the whole way there, okay?" I said angrily.

Was I tired? Yes. Was it rude? Yes. Did I really give a flying waffle? Heck no. They were getting on my nerves! I swear, I didn't think they'd ever get along. I got up silently, got Karryash's pokeball from Nurse Joy and went to the complimentary trainers' bedrooms, leaving the two teens speechless after my rant. When I got to the bedroom I didn't bother changing; I set my alarm, sat my backpack down beside my bed and flopped onto the bed, falling asleep within minutes.

**Yo, fanfictioners! So, the match is won and tensions are high on every side of the battlefield!**

**Well, if your thinking "hey, I was on wednesday and it wasn't uploaded then!" then you didn't check two minutes before midnight. Sorry, but it is... okay _now_ it's midnight, but whatever.**

**So, I wanted to let everyone know that I am going to try to use my spare time to grammer check my previous chapters, but don't expect it to happen soon. I got a research paper I'm working on that's killing me. No matter. I have a couple of chapters in work and already have half of the Gym Leaders done (sorta, mostly their type and specialty, along with a couple of their Poke's).**

**Until next Wednesday, hor-derves!**


	11. Chapter 9: Onward, ho!

_Uploaded Feb. 8th, 2012_

That morning I awoke with the strange feeling that someone was watching me. That feeling was confirmed when I opened my eyes to see Alysson's face, three inches from my own. I fell out of the bed with a rather embarrassing "Yelp!", and landed face-first on the hard, wooden floor.

"Morning, sleepyhead!" Alysson greeted cheerfully. "So, are we ready to go?"

I rubbed my eyes, trying to fully awaken. "What?" I mumbled sleepily.

She put her hands on her hips and glared at me. "Hello? Aren't we supposed to be going somewhere?"

I blinked a couple of times, my brain finally starting up. "Oh, yeah. So you've decided to come, I take it?" I asked, getting my backpack.

She nodded, cheerful once again. "Uh-huh!"

"And Bane?" I asked, not believing in the slightest that they would mutually agree to travel together.

She shrugged. "I guess he's coming too. I'm mostly going to ignore him."

I let out a chuckle. "Yeah, that'll work."

We left the Pokemon Center, our Pokemon fully healed, to find Bane waiting impatiently outside.

"What took ya'?" he asked grumpily. "I've been waitin' forever! I was about to call a search party! For you, Storm, not her." he added with a smug grin.

Alysson was obviously annoyed, but took a deep breath and said, "Ignoring."

"Not caring." Bane retorted mockingly.

I sighed. "Well, Ironhill's not getting any closer." I said, starting to walk ahead

They both nodded, sending each other subtle, quiet glares. And by subtle, I mean obvious, and by quiet, I mean that they were growling. This was not going to be a peaceful trip.

...

We stepped onto Route 9, which led to the Ironhill Caverns, which opened right into Ironhill Village. Now let's go into a little more detail on that trip, shall we? Bane and I led the group while Alysson lagged behind a little, reading a book.

"What are you reading a book for?" Bane snarked. "What could you possibly be reading that would be of any use to us?"

She lowered her book and glared at him. "For your information," she nearly growled, trying to contain herself, "this book has information about Pokemon habitats, and their reactions to intruders, like us."

Bane looked at her confusedly. "We're not intruders, we're just passing through."

Alysson sighed. "To a wild Pokemon it's the same thing." she shook her head and went back to reading her book.

Bane sighed dramatically. "I'll never understand girls."

I put my hand on his shoulder. "No, no you won't." I agreed. We laughed, and I think I even heard Alysson giggling.

Then Bane spotted a wild Pokemon. "Finally! I've been itching for a battle!" he exclaimed, running over to the wild Hoothoot.

Alysson huffed. "Must you be so barbaric?"

Bane openly laughed at her question, as though she had just asked him if it was absolutely necessary to breathe air. "Well, duh! If I don't battle then my Pokemon won't gain experience, will it?" Bane explained.

Alysson shook her head and turned to me. "You agree with me, right?"

I wasn't quite sure how to answer that. "I'm not quite sure how to answer that." I said, voicing my thoughts.

She looked at me pleadingly. "Oh, come on! You can't seriously want to hurt these Pokemon for defending their homes, can you?"

I faltered, but realized the perfect counter. "Well, it's true that they're defending their homes." I started. She smiled at this. "But," I continued, "We aren't exactly trampling their nests, are we? They could just as easily ignore us and stay close to their homes, but they choose to approach and fight us."

Her smile faded, realizing I made some sense. "Well, maybe, but..."

I nodded. "I agree that we shouldn't go after Pokemon unnecessarily but we have to defend ourselves if they attack. Right?"

She nodded, faking a smile. "I guess so. But could you handle most of the fighting, please?" she added sheepishly, looking at the ground for some reason.

I smiled back. "Deal, but I think Bane has it under control." I said pointing over to Bane who was already moving on, his battle long since past.

Alysson stomped her foot on the ground, surprising me with her sudden emotional change. "Ugh! He's so impatient!" she said, before stomping down the path after him.

I followed, calling out Karryash on the way. My little fire bird ruffled its feathers and jumped onto the arm that I had lowered for it, and from there onto my shoulder. "You'll stay and talk to me, right?" I asked Karryash. Both Alysson and Bane were a few yards in front of me, arguing over something. Karryash cheeped and leaned on my head, promptly falling asleep.

"You're quite the conversationalist." I remarked jokingly, taking care in my steps not to drop him. Bane and Alysson had stopped, either to argue more or to wait for me. Either way it gave me enough time to catch up with them.

"Fine! We'll ask Storm, then!" Bane yelled as I arrived.

"Sounds good to me!" Alysson loudly agreed.

I sighed, knowing I was going to be dragged into this whether I wanted to or not. "What's wrong?" I asked dryly, knowing I was about to hear something of no real consequence.

I was corrected, however, when Bane spoke, "Well, I think we need to catch more Pokemon, but little-miss-perfect here says we shouldn't." he said, glaring at Alysson.

Alysson glared back. "We can't just take them from their families! How would you feel, if-"

"Alright, alright!" I interrupted, not needing to hear the rest of this conversation. "I can see that both of you have good points. We can't really last as trainers without more Pokemon, but we can't take a child from its family..." I though hard about this and the others seemed to be doing the same.

Then Bane got an idea. "Wait! What if we only take matured Pokemon? I'm not saying we should tackle fully grown Terrofirmo, or anything like that. Just old enough that they live on their own skills." he looked at us expectantly.

We were both surprised, to say the least. I hate to say it, but I honestly thought he didn't care so long as he got more Pokemon. Alysson was the first to speak, however. "That's... actually a really good idea, Bane." she said in a tone of utter shock. Personally, I was only surprised, not floored like her.

Bane mocked offense. "And why the tone of surprise?" he asked, turning his back on he to add to the gesture.

She put her hands on her hips and mocked him back. "Well I never!" she said, turning away as well.

I couldn't help but laugh at this. And in seconds they had joined in. But after a moment I noticed something. "Hey, where's Karryash?" I asked, looking around.

"Wasn't he on your shoulder a second ago?" Alysson asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, but now-" I was cut off when a Chesto Berry fell on the top of my head. "OW!" I yelled. "What was that?" I looked up and saw Karryash, sitting on a branch and eating a berry. "Karryash, get down from there!" I called. It just sat there, eating its berry.

"Allow me." Bane said, getting his Porygon out. "Porygon, tackle the tree." Porygon hit it, knocking Karryash out. I ran over and barely caught it.

"A little warning would be nice." I commented.

Bane shrugged. "Sorry." he said halfheartedly. He then turned and continued down the path without a care in the world.

Alysson followed, quietly whispering, "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6..." To keep calm, I guessed. I followed them, making sure Karryash was okay and giving it the Chesto berry that fell on my head.

A short walk later we came across the entrance to the Ironhill Caverns. I walked in, whistling "We're off to see the Wizard" as I did. The others exchanged a glance and followed.

**Ooh, a cave. Spooky. Readers of the world, lend me your ears! ...Sir, you can have yours back, it as too much earwax. Anyways, we seem to be getting on our way now, don't we? For those of you who are waiting for a good battle, YE SHALL NOT WAIT FOR LONG! I am working ****hard to bring you people entertainment! And I'm not even getting paid. **

**Bane: Yes you are. Remember that guy-**

**SHUT UP, BANE! Do't mind him, he's on some "special medicine". Please review! I do accept flames, but compliments are greatly appreciated.**


	12. Pokefile: Terrpip, Terrfist & Terrofirmo

_Uploaded Feb. 11th, 2012_

**Hey, here's a little file on Terrpip! Idn't he just pwecious?**

Terrpip - the Stalagmite Pokemon

A basic Pokemon. Evolves into Terrfist when leveling up past level 11.

Rock-type Pokemon

A small stalagmite Pokemon.  
>Height: 1ft. 10in.<br>Length at Base: 1ft.  
>Weight: 30lb.<p>

Description: It is a small stone cone, pointing up. It has two eyes, and no visible mouth. It has one arm and hand on its right side, and is known to launch itself at enemies for protection. It often calls for family if it feels threatened.

Its habitats mainly include caves and mountainous regions.

Normal color: Earthy Brown  
>Shiny color: Dark Purple<p>

Did You Know?

~A Terrpip was once seen swimming, although poorly due to its weight. This raises questions as to its typing, but it is often dismissed if brought up.

~Terrpip eat with no mouth. Not anything new, but it seems to bother my son, Storm, to no end.

**Now including Terrfist!**

Terrfist - the Stalagmite Pokemon

A first-stage Pokemon. Evolves from Terrpip at level 10. Evolves into Terrofirmo when leveling up past level 65, only at night.

Rock-type Pokemon

A stalagmite Pokemon.  
>Height: 4ft. 7in.<br>Length at Base: 2ft. 7in.  
>Weight: 577lb.<p>

Description: It is a large, earthy cone, similar in shape to Terrpip. It has three right arms, evenly spaced around its body, two big, green eyes, that some say resemble emeralds. It also has no mouth, like its pre-evolution, and only dislodges itself from the earth when in dire situations. Its pride keeps it from accepting help from others, except for its trainer.

Normal color: Earthy Brown, Emerald eyes  
>Shiny color: Dark Purple, Ruby eyes<p>

Did You Know?

~It will sometimes disobey its trainer, if not trained with care and respect.  
>~It can be allergic to wool; if it sneezes, it can cause low-strength earthquakes.<p>

**And Terrofirmo!**

Terrofirmo - the Stalagmite Pokemon

A second-stage Pokemon. Evolves from Terrfist when leveling up past level 65, only at night.

Rock/Dark-type Pokemon

Enormous stalagmite Pokemon.  
>Height: 8ft. 3in.<br>Length at Base: 5ft.  
>Weight: 1764lb.<p>

Description: An incredibly rare Pokemon, It is a large, earthy cone, but unlike its pre-evolutions, it has large jewels adorning its body. it also has a large jagged mouth, with no teeth, or visible tongue. They have six arms, three on the right side and three on the left, and it will not dislodge itself from the earth, under any circumstances. Those who have seen them say that its voice sounds like an echo.

its only known habitat is the deepest caverns of the Kirabor Mountains, but some say otherwise.

Normal color: Earthy Brown, assorted colored jewels, Emerald eyes  
>Shiny color: Dark Purple, different colored jewels, Ruby eyes<p>

Did You Know?

~Terrofirmo are known tonever come into the sunlight, not even when their trainer calls for them to. The only exception to this is if the Terrofirmo and its trainer share an extraordinarily strong bond.

~Most Terrofirmo are allergic to wool. It has not yet been discovered why, though most researchers tend to chalk it up to the mysteries of nature.

**Yes, a pokemon eating without a mouth seriously bugs me, and these are reports that Storm's dad writes, so…**

**Bane: Dude, that isn't your only issue.**

**SHUT IT, MCWHOPPER!**

**Bane: …McWhopper?**

…**You eat a lot of those things. ANYWHO, here's Terrpip. Oh, I also fixed some grammar errors on the first 6 chapters (excluding the PokeFile, of course), and I ask you to please pont these errors out in the future, if you have the time. **

**Bane: Honestly, how did you miss all the asterisks in Chapter 4? It wasn't even that big of a chapter.**

***G*L*A*R*E* That enough asterisks for ya? Please enjoy and review.**

**Bane: …McWhopper.**

_**With Terrofirmo update...**_

**Terrofirmo, baby!**

**Bane: ...Did anyone need to hear that?**

**...mcwhopper...**

**Bane:...Stay tuned! And don't ignore this chapter update!**

_**After adding Terrfist...**_

**Bane: Or this one!**


	13. Chapter 10: In The Dark

_Uploaded Feb. 11th, 2012_

**Introducing a BRAND NEW CHAPTER! Now with 100% more words! Twice as long! WOW!**

As we wandered throughout the caverns, we realized something important. "We're lost." Alysson stated, verbalizing what we were all thinking.

"We're not lost." Bane argued. "We're just not sure where we are."

Alysson rolled her eyes. "Oh, good. That's a relief." she said sarcastically.

I sighed. "Alright, while we're here we might as well look for some new Pokemon." I said, looking around. It was dark. The only light came from Alysson's lantern. Good thing she packed that, or we could've been eaten by Rattata, or something, by now.

"By the way," Bane jerked me out of my thoughts, "what kind of Pokemon are you guys looking for, anyways?"

That was a good question. I had to think about it, but Alysson had her answer immediately. "That's easy!" she said cheerfully. "I like any of them that are friendly."

Bane scoffed. "Yeah, there's a strong team for you." he said, letting out a light chuckle.

Alysson glared at him. "Any Pokemon can be strong if you love, and care for it." she said, daring him to say otherwise.

Bane held his hands up defensively. "Hey, I don't disagree with that. I'm just saying that a team of Magikarp and Rattata won't do you much good."

Alysson laughed at him. "You do know that Magikarp evolve, right?"

Bane looked at her, like she had just said that the sky was underwater. "They do, what now?" he asked confusedly.

Alysson looked at him incredulously, stopping dead in her tracks. "You're kidding. He's kidding, right?" she asked me.

I shrugged. "I only met him a couple of minutes before you did, how would I know?" I said, me and Bane also stopping.

Bane frowned. "Well, pardon me for not being a walking Pokemon Encyclopedia." he said haughtily. Alysson just shook her head. "Well, see any Pokemon we could catch?" Bane asked, resuming his walk. He seemed pretty eager.

"What? Your Porygon isn't strong enough for you?" Alysson asked him.

Bane stopped short and turned to scowl, right in Alysson's face. "Never. Insult. Porygon. Got it?" he growled.

Alysson nodded, stunned, and Bane turned, to continue walking. It didn't take long for Pokemon to pop up. Me and Bane battled them for experience, but we didn't see any we wanted to catch, just yet. "Ugh, where are all of the cool Pokemon?" Bane whined.

"Would you, please, be quiet? I'm trying to see what kinds of Pokemon live here." Alysson remarked, looking through her book, with the light of her lantern.

"Okay, it looks like there are Geodude, Roggenrola, Whismur, Loudred and...Terrpip? What's that?" she asked uncertainly.

Bane and I shrugged. I'd never heard of "Terrpip". It sounded like a Psychic-type. Bane put on a thinking pose. "Well, Roggenrola evolve into a pretty cool Poke-WOAH!" he said, tripping and falling on his face. Alysson giggled and I held back a laugh.

Bane got up, brushing his jacket off. "Stupid stalagmite." he grumbled. Then he kicked the stalagmite he tripped over. Amazingly, it became dislodged from the ground and flew into the opposite cave wall. We all stared, dumbfounded, then the stalagmite wiggled and flipped upright, revealing a small set of eyes on it and a single, small arm on its right side. It was just over a foot tall and looked almost cute, for a rock spike.

"Aw! How cute!" Alysson squealed. "How could you kick it like that?" she yelled at Bane.

Bane was still dumbfounded by this turn of events. Then he grinned. "I'm gonna catch it." he said excitedly.

"What! After that? You idiot! I'll catch it, so I can protect it from idiots, like you!" Alysson yelled in a reprimanding tone.

Bane reeled back, in surprise. "What? No way! I'm catching it!"

While they argued, I approached the unusual, little Pokemon. "Hey, little guy." I greeted, kneeling down and holding out a Ganlon Berry. "You hungry?" It came a little closer and examined the berry, but backed away, half-burrowing as it did. "Wait, I'm sorry my friends scared you. Please come back." I said, trying to calm it down.

Karryash cheeped happily, from my head, inviting it over. "Karry-Karryash!" it said in the universally understood, Pokemon language. It seemed to work as it scooted closer and took the berry with its one hand. It held it up to where its mouth would be and... ate it? Seriously, I'll never understand how Pokemon like Mankey and Hitmonlee (Pokemon without mouths) eat.

"NO!" Bane yelled suddenly, frightening the Pokemon.

"Terr!" it yelled, starting to dig, with its body. "Pip-pip-pip-pip-pip!" and like that, it was gone.

I glared at the two, who were still arguing. "Can you two not shut up for ten seconds!" I yelled, interrupting their argument.

"He started it!", "She started it!" they yelled, blaming each other.

I continued glaring. "...Come on, Karryash, let's keep moving." I said, getting up and walking deeper into the cave. Bane and Alysson followed silently.

After a long, awkward silence, Alysson spoke up. "I think that was a Terrpip." she said.

"That's a Terrpip? Are they related to that huge rock-thing, with six arms?" Bane asked.

Alysson nodded. "Yep, Terrofirmo, but only under certain circumstances." she said pensively.

"Like?" Bane encouraged.

She sent him an annoyed glance. "I was getting to that. It has to be at a very high level, and it must be nighttime, or very, very dark."

Bane looked around the dimly lit cave. "Well, it's definitely dark enough." he said.

I nodded. "Yeah, but I'm sure there aren't any here." I said, wishing that I had some wood to knock on.

Bane was looking around, at the cave walls. "WOAH! LOOK AT THAT!" he yelled suddenly. He ran over to a wall that was covered in beautiful, glittering gemstones.

"Wow." I said simply. _That could pay off all of my family's bills, and then some!_I thought, hope rising.

Alysson, meanwhile was looking through her booklet, and suddenly her eyes grew in terror. "Bane, Storm, don't touch that wall!" she whispered frantically.

This worried me. "Why not?" I asked, hoping to end my family's money crisis.

But it was too late. Bane had grabbed a gem and was trying to pull it out. But, when he did, the cavern wall started shaking... Only the wall. Suddenly, two of the rubies changed shape, to look like two angry eyes, and a large crack ran through the lower part of the stone, looking like a snarling mouth. "Terrrrrrrooooooo..." it growled.

"Oh Snapple." Bane whispered in pure and utter terror.

"FIRMOOOOO!" it roared, making the whole cave shake, and causing a couple of stones to fall from its roof.

"RUN, RUN, RUN, RUN, RUN!" I yelled, returning Karryash to its pokeball, and running toward the Ironhill exit.

Bane and Alysson were close behind, running as fast as they could. "I told you not to touch it, you idiot!" Alysson screamed at Bane, as we ran.

"How was I supposed to know that it was gonna be a gigantic rock monster?" Bane yelled back.

"Less talking, more running!" I shouted back, having gained a considerable amount of distance from them. We didn't hear it following, as we kept running, but that wasn't as important as getting away from it.

As we continued to run, we saw a stream of light ahead. "There! There's the exit!" I yelled happily.

My hopes were dashed, however, when the monster arose from the earth, right between us and the exit. "TERRROOOOO!" it roared. We skidded to a stop, fear freezing us. It wasn't only an enormous, jewel-encrusted stalagmite, it had SIX ENORMOUS, STONY ARMS, that could crush us all with ease.

Me and Alysson didn't even speak, out of fright, but Bane did. "Porygon, go!" he called as Porygon emerged from the red light of his pokeball. We turned to see Bane with a serious determination in his face. "Well, we can't just sit here!" he yelled, trying to encourage us.

Me and Alysson exchanged looks and nodded. "Karryash!", "Normlos!" we called, our Pokemon coming out as we did.

"TERRRRRRROOOOOOO!" it roared, raising two of its fists. We called out our counters:

"Fleetfoot, Karryash!"

"Bounce, Normlos!"

"Barrier, Porygon!"

Karryash and Normlos dodged, drawing its attention, as Porygon glowed green, followed by our Pokemon, and then us! "Huh? What's this?" I asked, confused. I was glowing, after all.

Bane smirked. "Barrier raises the defense of my team, including you guys." he explained, also glowing.

Alysson nodded. "Good, then just in case we're hit, it won't hurt as much!" she said, smiling.

"Right, but I wouldn't count on it to shield a full-on punch from that guy. We've gotta try to, at least, weaken it." he reasoned.

We agreed with him, obviously. "Karryash, try a corkscrew!" I yelled.

Karryash rushed at the monstrosity, but it knocked him away with a swipe of its hand. "Karry!" it yelled, hitting the wall, luckily Porygon's reflect made the blow less damaging.

"Ugh, that didn't work." I said, disappointed.

"My turn!" Bane exclaimed. "Porygon, flash cannon!"

Porygon quickly charged and released a flash cannon. "Por-y-gon!" it shouted electronically. It hit the Terrofirmo, but instantly shattered upon contact, doing nothing.

"TERRRRRRRRR..." it growled, stones ripping themselves from the ground and hovering in mid-air. "Oh, no! Ancientpower!" Alysson shouted.

"Quick, get behind Porygon!" Bane instructed. Me, Karryash, Alysson and Normlos all quickly gathered behind Porygon. "Porygon, protect!" Bane shouted.

On command Porygon glowed a darker shade of green. "Pory-gon!" it shouted as a green sphere surrounded us.

"ROOOOO!" the stone monster roared, launching the stones at the barrier. Miraculously, the shield held up, until each and every stone was gone.

"Great work, Bane." I congratulated.

"Don't thank me yet." Bane said, pointing at the terrible Terrofirmo. All six of its gargantuan arms were raised up, ready to smash us like bugs. And, at that terrible moment, our green glows diminished. I put my arms around Karryash, preparing for the worst. When I heard a voice.

_HALT!_it screamed in a raspy hiss.

I looked up to see the Terrofirmo looking around, probably for the source of the voice, arms still raised. "What was that?" Alysson asked, holding her Pokemon close.

"I'm not sure." Bane answered, looking around suspiciously.

_Go back to your ssslumber. I will deal with them._ it hissed. The Terrofirmo seemed to obey the mysterious voice, burrowing down into the earth, and out of sight. _Sssooo, who disssturbsss my home?_it asked, tension clear in its voice.

"I'm Bane." Bane replied, still suspicious.

"I-I'm Alysson." Alysson said, still clutching Normlos tightly.

"And I'm Storm." I said last.

_Ah, yesss. I have heard of thossse like you, boy._it said, the direction of the voice indiscernible, due to the echoes.

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really. How's that?" I asked, growing suspicious of the voice.

The voice let out a low, raspy chuckle. _I have heard of many like you. One who's intentionsss are pure, and resssolve, unyielding. _it said in a mocking tone._ HA! You will not sssucceed._it snarked.

I smirked. "Yeah, sure I won't." I challenged. I could feel a change in the feeling of the cave air, as though it grew colder.

_Perhapsss...Perhapsss...GIRL!_it shouted, making us all jump.

_You have sssomething in your armsss?_ As it said this, Alysson clutched Normlos tighter.

_No, not her, your book. Why do you read it?_it asked, almost kindly.

"Well, it has a lot of helpful info..." Alysson answered hesitantly, her Normlos looking around for the unknown speaker.

_Ahh, to help you on your way? Are you that unsssure of your own mind_? it asked, the rasp returning.

She glared at the cave ceiling. "I'm perfectly confident in myself, thank you!" she said, practically daring it to argue, as she had done with Bane. The air changed again, becoming even colder.

_Ssssss... Well sssaid... Dark-haired one?_it called.

Bane leaned on a wall casually. "Sup?" he asked in reply. I think he was trying to make it look like the hissing, raspy voice that came out of nowhere didn't affect him... He's a good actor.

_I know why you're traveling, quiet one_. It almost whispered, in a light, taunting hiss.

Bane stiffened at this, but kept his composure. "You're bluffing." he said, a slight nervousness in his voice.

_Oh, yesss. Sssurely I'm bluffing. How could I know that you are sssearching for…?_it hissed slowly, and, though it continued to speak, I couldn't make out the rest.

I assume Bane heard it, though, because he suddenly stiffened and took a battle stance. "Come on! Show yourself! Only cowards hide and mock people from the shadows!"

_AHAHAHAHAHA! Coward, am I? HA! Oh, on the contrary, I would say that I am... _It paused._ That isss unimportant. You, you are either very brave, or very foolish. Either way I've taken a liking to you all. You may leave._it said, as a loud, stomping noise was heard from somewhere in the caverns.

_But, remember thisss!_ it called, from a greater distance. _We ssshall meet again! Sssssssssssss..._Once we were sure it was gone, we headed out of the cave.

Boy, it was good to see sunlight. I've never been that happy to see grass and trees before, either. "Ahh, finally, fresh air!" Bane said, stretching.

I took a deep breath and said, "You said it." agreeing with him.

Alysson looked back at the cave. "What do you guys think that was?" she asked, returning her Normlos.

I shrugged, and Bane replied, "I don't know, but you sure told it off!", returning his Porygon, as well.

She blushed a little. "Well you weren't too bad, yourself, in that battle against Terrofirmo." she said. Wait a second, were they actually getting along?

Bane waved off the comment. "It was nothing."

"Ya'know, I think we'll make a pretty good team." I said, looking between the two. They both nodded in agreement. "And just in time, too." I added, turning around. "There's Ironhill Village, the site of our first Gym battle!"

Bane was pumped. "Piece of cake." he said, confidently.

Alysson nodded. "I can try to do some research on the Gym Leader, if you'd like." she offered.

"Yeah, that'd be great." I agreed. "Thanks." Bane added.

She smiled. "It's nothing."

Then I turned back to Ironhill. _The sooner I beat that Gym Leader,the sooner I can help my family._ I thought as I watched the sunset.

**Yes!** **Now don't expect chapters this long all the time, I just couldn't find a way to split it into two, so here it is! In a hurry, special Saturday edition! BYE!**

**Bane: You heard 'im. Git!**


	14. Chapter 11: Ironhill has a Nurse Joy!

_Uploaded Feb. 15th, 2012_

**Chapter 11. Read on...**

We walked into Ironhill Village, and decided to do a little sightseeing.

First, we went to the local Pokemon center, where Alysson and I were met with a surprise. "Umm... Nurse Joy?" I asked the woman across the counter. Wasn't she in Littlelog?

"That's my name." she replied with a smile.

I gave her a confused look. "But... weren't you in Littlelog?"

She laughed. "Oh, you must mean my sister. All of my family works in Pokemon centers."

Bane nodded. "Yeah, it seemed odd to me too, at first."

Alysson and I exchanged confused glances. "Well, that's nice." I said, as I handed over my Karryash's pokeball, and my friends handed over theirs. Then we went over to a local cafe. Bane got a Coke, Alysson got a sweet tea, and I got a Diet Coke. "Why diet?" Bane asked, as we sat down at a booth, me and him on one side, Alysson on the other.

I shrugged. "Cuz it rocks." I replied, taking a sip.

Alysson was reading a booklet she had picked up at the Center. "All right, by the looks of it the Gym Leader, Rocky, likes to use Rock-types." she explained, flipping the pages.

Bane smirked. "Easy." he said, taking a gulp of Coke.

My shoulders drooped. "Not for me. Karryash has a huge disadvantage to Rock-types." I muttered sadly.

Bane gave me a pat on the back. "Hey, no worries. Type-matchup isn't everything." he said reassuringly.

I looked at him. "Karryash has a double weakness to rock, peck will do nothing, and even if it did learn a Fire-type attack soon, it wouldn't be very helpful, either." I deadpanned.

His smile faded. "Maybe, but..."

"Hey!" Alysson interjected. "What if you caught a water or grass-type? That might work."

I nodded, mulling the suggestion over, in my head. "Maybe, but I still want Karryash to get some experience."

Bane stood up. "Well then, get up! We've got Pokemon to find! ...Umm, are there any water or grass-types around here?" he asked sheepishly.

Alysson nodded, reading through her book. "There's some Bellsprout, Ferroseed, and Shelder, over on Route 10. Those could work."

I nodded, cheering up. "Alright, but first I have something to take care of." I said, walking over to the phones.

...

"Sweetheart! How are you? Are you and Karryash okay?" my mom practically screamed over the phone.

"Hey, mom." I replied. "Can you keep it down a little? The whole center can hear you."

"Oh sorry, honey. I'm just happy to hear from you. So, how have you been?"

"Great! Karryash and I are doing fine, and we also have a couple of new friends that we're traveling with, but..." I replied, something else on my mind.

"But what? What's wrong, sweetie?" she asked worriedly, as mothers do.

"Oh, nothing. I'm fine, but, how are you guys doing?" I asked. I worried about my family, too.

She hesitated a moment, before answering, "We're doing alright, Storm. We're getting along."

I smiled sadly, knowing she was covering something up. Probably a bill or two that they were behind on, but I decided to let it go, for now. "Well, that's good. And soon I'll get some money, when I beat the Gym Leader, and then I can send some to you!" I said, happy that there was something I was able to do, that could help.

"Thank you Storm. But no more than half, okay? And, we really do appreciate your doing all this." she said, lovingly.

"Well, I have been wanting to go on a journey for a while now." I replied with a light chuckle.

"Well, it's good that you're getting to do that now."

"Thanks, mom." I said my resolve to beat the Gym Leader even stronger. After I talked to my mom, sister, dad, and a few other random people from town that felt the need to talk to me, I went to the lobby to find Alysson alone. "Hey, where's Bane?" I asked her.

She got up from lying across a couple of sofa-like chairs and shrugged. "He got bored and went out to try to learn more about the Gym Leader." she said, stretching.

I sighed. "Well, let's go. We'll find him on our way there." I said, walking over to the exit. As soon as I saw who was outside of the clear, automatic doors, I ran over and hid behind a plant. Strange? Maybe. Uncalled for? No.

The doors slid open with a *ding*, as, none other than, Sir Roderick and George walked in. George went to the counter. "Hello, my good lady." he said, charmingly.

She smiled at him. "How may I help you sir?"

"We are on official business for His Majesty, and we must ask for your medical files. For our research, you see." he explained.

Her look changed from happy to confused. "But, why didn't you just have me transfer it over the computer, like we usually do?"

George nodded. "Well, you see..."

As he went into an explanation of why they were there, Alysson walked over to my hiding spot. "Why are you hiding behind a tree?" she asked, turning to look at the new arrivals.

"Let's just say that the one in black doesn't like me." I said, praying that they wouldn't see me.

"Okay, I'll wait outside." she said, walking to the door, which Roderick was rudely blocking. "Excuse me." she said politely, trying to get out.

He scowled at her. "Indeed." he said, moving enough for her to get out. She glared at him, before leaving.

_Man, he is a jerk_. I thought as George took some files from Nurse Joy.

"Thank you, miss." he said, giving her a half-bow.

She gave a broad grin. "You're welcome, sir." she said, bowing her head slightly. Then George and Roderick took their leave, and I came out from behind the plant.

Luckily, when I left, Roderick and George were nowhere in sight; Just the odd passerby and Alysson, with Bane. I walked over to them, and looked at Bane. "Any luck?" I asked, referring to his investigation, of course.

He shook his head. "Nope, nothing." he replied. "Just rumors and 'good luck's."

Alysson led the way to Route 10, as me and Bane followed, talking about Gym strategies.

"But what if he has one of those half-flying types?" Bane asked. "Then a grass-type would be in a much worse position than a water-type."

I looked at him, an eyebrow raised. "There are half-rock, half-flying types?"

He nodded. "Yup, they're rare, but they do exist." he confirmed.

Alysson smiled, up at the front, although we couldn't see it from behind her. "I know what Pokemon he has." she proclaimed in a sing-song voice.

Bane and I silenced our discussion immediately, to listen to her. "What are they?" Bane asked eagerly.

"I'll tell you." you could practically hear the smug grin in her voice. "But, first, I want to know something about each of you." she requested, turning around and halting our walk. We exchanged glances and nodded to her. She smiled. "Okay, why were you hiding from those two in the lobby?" she asked me.

I was surprised. "That's it?" I asked. I was gonna tell them about that later, anyways.

She nodded, so I explained the short story of my meeting with Sir Roderick, and by the end, Bane was bursting with laughter. "To-to look upon your majestic presence?" he asked, still laughing. I nodded, sending him into more fits of laughter.

Alysson nodded, her hand on her chin. "That explains it. Sir Roderick is well known for his battle skills, and, well..." I nodded, understanding. She then turned to Bane, waiting for him to finish laughing. After a couple of minutes, she let out a loud cough. This got Bane's attention, and he sat up, still smiling over my story. "How did you get your Porygon?" she asked.

Bane was surprised. Like me, he was probably expecting a tougher, or deeper, question. "Oh, that's all? Well, my dad worked in a Pokemon research lab, and they had a mishap with one of the machines and he came home with a Porygon. He didn't tell me much. Something to do with the 'Moonshadow Project' or something. Basically, he brought it home one day and gave it to me." Bane explained.

Honestly, I didn't expect it to be that detailed, and what was that 'Project Moonshadow' he mentioned? _Well, it probably doesn't matter_. I thought. "Alright, since you both answered my questions, I'll tell you about Rocky's Pokemon." Alysson announced. We listened with strained ears. "He has a Corsola..." she began.

Bane nodded to himself. "A grass-type would take care of that." he muttered quietly.

"A Rhyhorn..." she continued.

I nodded. "Both a grass or water-type would be good for that one." I stated.

"And...a Terrfist." she finished, with a nervous voice.

We both looked up at this. "Terrfist?" I asked.

She nodded. "It's the evolution between Terrpip and Terrofirmo." she explained. "It's pretty tough, from what I've heard. No one's ever beaten it."

Bane smirked. "Until now." he said cockily, resuming his walk. Alysson and I followed.

We arrived at Route 10, to search for Pokemon... When a Rattata attacked, launching itself at my face and knocking me over. Bane laughed and Alysson giggled as the Rattata ran off, into a bush. I got up and continued on my quest to find Pokemon, muttering, "This is destined to go well." sarcastically, as I did.

**Bane: Yeah! Alright, 11 chapters down, and we _still_ haven't gotten to the FIRST Gym Leader.**

**I apologize for the slow chapter, but without lulls in excitement, there wouldn't really be any excitement, would there? *blowing your mind!* And, Bane, chill. You'll have your chance.**

**Bane: Shut up! You still haven't given me a satisfying battle with Axel!**

**...Just for that, you will pay next chapter. Stay tuned!**

**Bane: Pay! But I'm broke!**

**WAIT! DON'T GO YET! I also updated Terrpip's file to include TERROFIRMO! And Terrfist will be added once it makes an appearence. I think that's a good way to keep Pokemon organized (keeping the evolution lines together), however, if you, the reviewers, have any suggestions on how this would be done best, please let me know!**

**Bane: You can suggest it, but it doesn't mean we have to listen.**

**BANE!**


	15. Chapter 12: Gotta catch 'em all!

_Uploaded Feb. 22nd, 2012_

**Yeah, it's a shorter chapter. Read please!**

Once we were actually on Route 10, we quickly spotted some Shellder, Ferroseed, Ponyta and Anorith... Wait, aren't those extinct? "Hey, are those what I think they are?" Bane asked, pointing to the lone Anorith, which was currently battling some Ferroseed.

Alysson checked her book. "It's definitely an Anorith, but the book doesn't say anything about them living here…or at all, for that matter."

"Maybe it belongs to someone." I suggested.

Bane smirked, reaching in his pocket. "Maybe, maybe not." he said, pulling out a pokeball.

Alysson sighed. "You are so impulsive." Alysson mumbled, "Can you at least wait one minute? One! Is that so much to ask?" Bane rolled his eyes and returned the pokeball to his pocket. I observed the situation and decided to try something.

"Karryash!" I called, throwing my pokeball. As it flew through the air, a beam of red light shot out, shortly materializing into my Karryash. A moment later I caught the pokeball, as it flew back from the release.

"Hey! If that thing's wild, it's mine!" Bane shouted, gesturing to the Anorith.

I nodded. "No problem. I was gonna try to catch a Shellder, anyways." I said, walking over to the group of Shellder with a Chesto Berry in my hand and Karryash on my shoulder.

One Shellder saw me approaching and instantly lunged at me. The unpreparedness for the sudden attack left me on the ground with a Shellder jumping up and down on my chest, and Karryash cawing angrily nearby. For most people this might seem odd, but I have a little sister at home, who does the same thing. "Umm, can you get off of me, please?" I asked the Shellder. It just stuck its tongue out and gave me a raspberry. "Okay, you askin' for a fight?" I asked, glaring at it.

It jumped off of me and continued jumping, looking at me expectantly. "Sheeell!" it squealed.

I smiled. "If you want a fight, I'll give it to ya'!" I said, getting up as Karryash ran into position. The Shellder started with a tackle that Karryash easily dodged. "Karryash, try a corkscrew!" I shouted.

Karryash twisted through the air, but the Shellder shut its shell before he could make contact, resulting in Karryash harmlessly bounce off of its shell. "Sheeeeeell!" the Shellder yelled as the two horns on its top shell glowing white and elongating.

"Hey, what's that attack?" I asked my friends.

Bane shrugged. "I'm not sure. I've never seen a Shellder use an attack like that… Though I've never really seen many battles with a Shellder involved, so..."

Alysson, on the other hand, knew exactly what it was. "That's twinneedle! But I didn't think that a Shellder could learn that attack." she said in disbelief.

Nevertheless, the Shellder hopped toward Karryash and the unfortunate fire chick took the brunt of the bug-type attack. "No way!" Bane cheered. "I gotta have it." he said, pulling out a pokeball.

Alysson grabbed it out of his hand. "No. Let Storm have a chance." she ordered.

Bane glared at her. "Fine." he grumbled, taking his pokeball back and walking off.

Meanwhile, "Karryash, do you think that we could try blitz?" I asked. It's another one of our strategies. He nodded, and I in turn. "Karryash, blitz!" I shouted.

Karryash ran at Shellder, preparing to attack. The Shellder closed its shell, bracing itself for the impact. As Karryash approached, he jumped skyward, landing on Shellder's shell and unleashing a barrage of peck attacks on it. "Shellllll..." the Shellder groaned, trying to hold up against the onslaught.

"Keep it up, Karryash!" I encouraged. "I think you've almost got it!" Karryash kept pecking and soon Shellder was forced to open its shell in an attempt to throw Karryash off. "Now!" I yelled to Karryash.

"Karreeee!" it cheeped, spewing embers right in Shellder's face!

"Sheeeeellll!" the Shellder squeaked as it was flipped over by the attack.

"Alright!" I cheered, pulling a pokeball out. "Go, pokeball!" I shouted (for no particular reason) as I threw it.

"Why'd you shout that?" Alysson asked, as the pokeball neared its target.

I shrugged. "It just felt like the right thing to say, ya'know?" And my pokeball hit the Shellder, absorbing it in a beam of red light.

It shook once...

"Come on, come on." I whispered, holding my breath.

It shook a second time...

"I think it's gonna make it!" Alysson cheered.

It shook a third time...

"Stupid Ferroseed!" Bane shouted, currently fending off a whole hoard of them with a small tree branch no bigger than a ruler –about one foot long, for those of you who want more specific detail–. Alysson facepalmed.

It clicked!

"Yes! I caught my first Pokemon!" I cheered, holding up my prize.

"Good for you. Now, help me!" Bane shouted from under a pile of Ferroseeds, his body no longer visible, save for a lone hand waving spastically at the top of the pile.

I nodded. "Karryash, you mind?" I asked my trusty little fire bird after placing my new Shellder's pokeball on my belt, as all trainers do. Karryash flapped his wings and ran over to Bane. "Ember, Karryash!" I called out. Karryash took a deep breath and spewed flames onto the Ferroseeds...and Bane.

"YOWCH! HOT, HOT!" Bane screamed, running around, flinging the Ferroseed off in wild, spastic motions. After we put Bane out, we went back to the Pokemon Center, gave our Pokemon to Nurse Joy and had dinner at the center's cafeteria (they have those, you know).

I yawned and stretched. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm just about ready for bed." I said sleepily.

Alysson nodded. "Me too. I feel like I just got out of a three-hour Jigglypuff concert."

Bane shrugged. "Not me. I think I'm gonna do some more research on the Gym Leader before bed… And maybe get a taco."

I nodded to him. "Suit yourself. Goodnight." I said, walking back to the bedrooms. Alysson headed for the girls' rooms and Bane walked outside. After I got changed, I lied down and fell asleep pretty quickly.

**Bane: Yahoo! Storm got a Shellder! Now he...has a Shellfish?**

**Hey, you shuttup, or you'll get another beating.**

**Bane: Well, I still think the Ferroseed attack was a little much.**

**Stop pouting. Anyways, please review, faithful fanfictioners!**

**Bane: ...I need a Whopper.**


	16. Chapter 13: Day of the Gym Battle!

_Uploaded Feb. 28th, 2012_

**Yo, people of Earth! Here it is, Gym Day! Read A/N at the bottom after the story.**

That morning, I awoke filled with vigor, and ready to take on the Gym Leader. As I got dressed, I saw Bane asleep on the bed next to mine. Yeah, the center bedrooms work similarly to dorms. "Yo, Bane? Bane? Wolfbane? Hello?" I half-yelled, trying to wake him up.

He grumbled and turned over, still asleep. I shook my head and decided to head out and meet Alysson. She was waiting in the lobby, looking bored and tired. "Good morning." I greeted, as I came over and sat by her.

"Good morning." she yawned back.

"Have a good sleep?" I asked, already assuming the answer.

She half-glared at me, probably too tired to give a full glare. "Haha. No, I didn't. A bunch of girls in the room next to mine were up all night watching a horror movie, and screaming every two minutes. I called and complained, but no one came." she explained.

"Well, maybe watching a battle will cheer you up." I suggested.

She nodded. "We'll go as soon as Bane's ready." I nodded and leaned back into the sofa, to rest until Bane came.

A whole half-hour had passed, in which Alysson napped on the sofa and I did things, before Bane came into the lobby. "Sup?" Bane asked as he walked in.

"Sup?" Alysson asked, definitely annoyed. "Why are you so late?"

He just shrugged, and I decided to intervene, before they went back to their constant arguing. "Well, he's here now, so let's get to that Gym." I suggested, putting down the cube puzzle kept in the center, specifically for bored trainers, like me.

She nodded, somewhat sleepily, and walked out the door. The walk to the Gym was a short one, which consisted mainly of getting lost, due to Bane's poor sense of direction. "How was I supposed to know this was the Gym?" Bane asked defensively, as we approached the Gym.

Alysson shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe the fact that it's the biggest building in the village? Or maybe the HUGE SIGN THAT SAYS 'GYM', ON THE FRONT!" she yelled, gesturing to the large sign, that did, in fact, read "Gym" in big, red letters. Bane shrugged, ignoring her shout.

As we entered the doors of the Gym, we all stood in awe. Inside was an enormous room with a Pokemon arena in the middle, enough bleachers to fit at least two-hundred people on either side, a large TV on each wall above the bleachers, and a large, ornate door on the opposite end. "So this is a Gym?" I said, more of a statement than a question, as we walked in.

Bane nodded. "Pretty cool, isn't it?"

Alysson walked after us, reading her book. "Hey, Storm?" she asked as we made our way to the center of the arena.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"Have you trained with Shellder, since you caught it?" she asked, concern in her voice.

I nodded. "Yeah, me and Karryash trained with it a bit, while you were napping and Bane was snoozing."

She nodded back. "That's good. What attacks does it know?"

I thought for a moment, and then answered. "Water gun, withdraw, twinneedle and... Well, I'll leave that one a surprise." I said with a wink.

We arrived in the center of the arena, still as alone as when we entered. "Hello?" I called out. "We're here for a Gym battle! Anyone here?"

"Hey! Come out, you cowards, so I can beat ya'!" Bane hollered.

"How humble." Alysson commented.

"It's a gift." Bane said, smiling smugly.

Suddenly, the door opened slowly to reveal a young man in green overalls and a blue, long-sleeved shirt. He had dirty, brown hair that was cut very short, and he had a pair of goggles on his forehead. On his feet, he had on black work boots, completing the unusual ensemble. We just stared, dumbfounded. "What is he wearing?" Bane asked quietly.

"I... I have no idea." Alysson whispered.

I shook it off and walked forward. "Are you the Gym Leader?" I asked, hoping otherwise.

"What? Oh, no, no, no. I'm not the Gym Leader, I was just visiting him. We're friends from way back. Name's Parkin." he explained, introducing himself.

"So, where is he?" Bane asked impatiently. Alysson swatted his arm. "Ow! What was that for?" he asked, rubbing the spot where she hit.

"There was a gnat." she explained with a smile. "Don't worry, I got it."

Bane glared at her, as a new character walked out of the door. He wore a brown, unbuttoned, sleeveless vest with a black t-shirt underneath, and jeans with brown boots. His hair was very short, brown, and spiky, with a pair of goggles on top. "Hey, who's in my Gym?" the newcomer said.

"So you're the Gym Leader?" Bane asked eagerly.

He nodded. "Yep, I'm Rocky, the Ironhill Gym Leader. And I take it you're my next challenger?" he said, addressing Bane.

I half-waved over. "Well, me and him." I said.

He walked over to one side of the arena. "Alright. Well, whoever wants to go first is welcome."

Bane and I decided that I would go first, so I took my position at the opposite end of the arena. Bane and Alysson took seats in the bleachers, as an official came from the ornate door, and stood in the center of the field, off to the side. "How many Pokemon does the challenger have?" he asked me.

"I have two, at the moment." I answered.

He nodded. "The match will be a two-on-three. Do you have any badges?" he asked me. I told him I didn't, and he continued, "The challenger is allowed to fully heal one Pokemon, if it faints, only once. The challenger is also allowed substitutions. Is that understood?" Rocky and I nodded. "Very good." the official continued. "Will the challenger accept a five-minute gathering period, for an audience?" he asked, turning to me.

"A gathering period?" I asked, confused.

Rocky nodded. "Yep, a gathering period is when an official leaves the Gym, to spread word of the battle, allowing an audience to come and watch." he explained.

I thought for a moment, and decided. "Sure, that's fine with me." The official nodded, and gave Rocky a nod, as well, leaving to gather an audience. Within the five minutes, the bleachers were filled.

"Wow, I didn't know that this many people were in town." Bane stated, shocked by the amount of people to come in just five short minutes.

Alysson nodded, and said, "I wonder if Roderick and George are here."

Rocky looked at me with a cocky grin. "You ready?" he yelled, over the roar of the audience.

I nodded. _This is it_. I thought to myself, my heart thumping like a jackbuneary. _My first Gym battle._

"Gym Leader, ready?" the official asked, the crowd hushing.

Rocky shouted back, "Ready!"

The official turned to me. "Challenger, ready?"

I shouted, "Ready!" back, as well.

The official raised his flag, "Begin!"

**OOH!** **Yep, I did it. I left it at a climax.**

**Bane: DARN YOU, HALESTORMING! DARN YOU!**

**But...**

**Bane: '.'**

**I got a little extra done this week, so...**

**Bane: 'o'**

**I'M UPLOADING ANOTHER TOMORROW!**

**Bane: :D**

**Then again, I usually upload on a Wednesday anyways.**

**Bane: :P**

**You know, that's a little annoying right?**

**Bane: :-/**

**:(**

**Bane: XD**

**...OK, you win.**

**Bane: BD**

**...Grr. So, where was I? Oh yeah, check back tomorrow! That is, if you wanna watch a _Gym Battle!_**

**Bane: Review, readers!**


	17. Chapter 14: Battle, begin!

_Uploaded Feb. 29th, 2012 (Happy Leap Day!)_

**Woah... I just realized that it took four chapters between them ariving at Ironhill, and their Gym battle at Ironhill... Please read...**

Rocky sent out his Pokemon, first. "Go Corsola!" he called, releasing a small, pink and white, round Pokemon with antler-like horns.

"Cor-cor!" it shouted, squeakily.

I staggered a little. That was the one that I was worried about. "Karryash, ready!" I yelled, throwing Karryash's pokeball, releasing my fire chick.

"Kary-Karry!" it cheeped, hopping around.

"That's puny!" I heard a person in the audience shout, followed by laughter. I was a little put down by this, until...

"Hey, you!" Bane yelled, standing up. "Why don't you come say that to my face!"

"Oh no..." I muttered quietly. Thankfully, Alysson pulled him down into his seat, before he could say anything else. I shook it off and looked up to see Rocky looking at Bane in confusion, so I made the opening move. "Karryash, peck!"

Karryash ran toward Corsola, but Rocky was prepared. "Harden, Corsola!" he commanded. The Corsola tightened its muscles, hardening. When Karryash hit it, it didn't do much damage.

"Karryash, try ember!" I retaliated. Karryash spewed embers, doing minimal damage, due to Corsola's water/rock-typing.

"Corsola, spike cannon!" Rocky shouted.

The Corsola's spikes glowed on command. "Cor-so-LA!" it yelled, shooting white spikes at Karryash.

"Karry!" it squawked, knocked for a loop.

"Karryash, corkscrew!" I shouted. Karryash spun through the air, hitting Corsola and flipping it upside-down. The Corsola struggled, trying to flip over, so I decided to take advantage of its predicament. "Ember, quick!" I ordered. Karryash scattered embers at Corsola, rolling it right into a wall.

"Cooooorrr..." it moaned, falling on its side.

The judge held up a green flag, to my side of the arena. "Corsola is unable to battle. This round goes to Karryash!" he announced. This gained murmurs of surprise, from the audience, that soon turned to light applause... With some loud cheering from Bane.

Rocky recalled his Corsola. "Good job, buddy. You rest, now." he said, pulling out another pokeball. "Not bad, but are you ready for round 2?" he said with a smirk. He tossed his pokeball, revealing Rhyhorn.

"Hoooorn!" it roared, as it stomped its feet.

I turned to Karryash. "What do you think? Can you take another?" I asked. Karryash cheeped, jumping energetically. I nodded, accepting its response. This time, Rocky opened.

"Take down, Rhyhorn!" he ordered, causing Rhyhorn to rush toward Karryash.

"Dodge it, Karryash!" I shouted in a panic. Karryash ran to the side, but Rhyhorn was too fast. He rammed Karryash, knocking him out, instantly. "Karryash!" I cried out, running over to my Pokemon.

"Karryash is unable to battle." the official announced, lifting a red flag to Rocky's side, "The round goes to Rhyhorn." Wild cheering came from the audience. Apparently, they liked Rocky a lot.

"Good job, Karryash." I said, calling him back to his pokeball.

The official walked over to me. "You may have Karryash healed, if you wish." he told me. I figured I would probably need him, so I said yes. The official took Karryash's pokeball to be healed, so I took out Shellder's pokeball.

"Go, Shellder!" I shouted. Shellder came out of the pokeball, blinking a few times.

"I'll let you go first, this time." Rocky said, acting like he was doing me a favor.

Actually, most of my strategy with Shellder was defensive, so going first wasn't a big help, but this could work too. "Withdraw and water gun!" I shouted. Shellder closed its shell and let out a spray of water from a small gap, hitting Rhyhorn in the face. It did some considerable damage, but not nearly enough.

"Rhyhorn, show him a rock tomb!" Rocky shouted. On cue, boulders rose from the ground, ripping themselves out, and rushing toward Shellder.

"Withdraw!" I yelled. Shellder tucked itself away again, heightening its defense. The rocks hit Shellder, slamming the poor shellfish all over the arena, with the force of the blow.

The crowd laughed. "You call that a Pokemon?" and "Pathetic!" came from the shouting.

"Shellder you okay?" I yelled, despite the booing. Shellder opened its shell and hopped back into position, as though it hadn't been hit with a good dozen giant stones, much to the surprise of the audience.

"Wow, your Shellder has some impressive D. I gotta say, I was expecting this to be over with that attack." Rocky complimented.

I nodded. "Never judge a book by its cover. Water gun!"

Shellder shot another water gun, hitting Rhyhorn, and causing it to cry out, "Rhyyyyy!" The Rhyhorn staggered, but quickly regained its bearing.

"Rhyhorn, retaliate with stomp!" Rocky shouted. Rhyhorn ran toward Shellder, ready to stomp on its shell.

"Withdraw and hold!" I shouted. Shellder did so and waited. Rhyhorn was getting closer, the anticipation thickening. Just as Rhyhorn lifted its foot over Shellder, I hollered, "Twinneedle!" Shellder's horns glowed, turning into sharp needles, and as soon as Rhyhorn hit them, it retracted its foot, wailing. "Water gun, quick!" I shouted, eager to finish off Rhyhorn. Shellder spewed water at Rhyhorn, knocking it on its side, and KOing it.

The official lifted a green flag on my side, again. "Rhyhorn is unable to battle, the round is Shellder's!" This reaction was the same as the last, more surprised murmurs, and Bane whooping and hollering like an idiot.

Rocky returned his Rhyhorn. "Nice job, dude. Rest up, now." he told it. "Well." he said louder, directing his attention to me. "I didn't think you'd get past Rhyhorn. You're not half-bad." he complimented.

"Thanks. You're definitely not making this easy, though." I said honestly. This was tough, no joke.

His grin widened. "But there's no way your beating this guy." he said, getting out his last pokeball. He tossed it high into the air, and a red beam shot out, materializing into his final Pokemon.

It was a large rock cone, like its other evolutions, but this one was about four and a half feet tall, with three right arms spaced around the base of its body. Its eyes were ruby, like Terrofirmo, but its body was stone and mouthless, with no gems, like Terrpip.

"Terrfist." I mumbled quietly. I had an idea of how to handle it, but I didn't really have much info to go on, other than our run-in with that Terrofirmo in Ironhill Cave.

"Terrfist, ancientpower." he commanded calmly, even snapping his fingers.

"Shoot!" I seethed. Withdraw may increase defense, but ancientpower was a special attack, meaning those withdraws wouldn't help. As the stones rose from the ground, I knew Shellder couldn't dodge, so I went with a strategy I had worked on, before the match. "Spinneedle!" I shouted to my seemingly doomed Shellder. It spun around, its horns elongating in a white glow, as it did. The rocks approached, but thankfully, and amazingly, the spinneedle deflected most of them, and the ones that did hit did some damage, but nothing too severe.

Rocky staggered back and I almost thought he'd fall over in shock. "No way." he stated quietly, as gasps and whispers came from the audience, along with light applause.

I smirked. "Never judge a book by its cover." I repeated.

**If you think this is a cliffhanger, then stop right there!**

**Bane: *sirens* We have you surrounded! Come out with the Whoppers in your hands!**

**...What's wrong with you?**

**Bane: *shrugs* Hey, you write for me.**

**NO BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL! Anywho, the next chapter will be up at around...dinner.**

**Bane: Dude, that's completely diferent depending on where people are.**

***GLARE* Fine, then. Dinnertime in the US, Eastern time zone. Better?**

**Bane: *nods* Muchos gracias.**

**...please review, kind people.**

**Bane: ...No habla Whoppers?**


	18. Chapter 15: A Rough and Rocky Finish!

_Uploaded Feb. 29th, 2012 (GASP! two in a row!)_

**Okay, for those of you who thought I would upload a chapter at dinner time (ETZ)... I apologize. I humbly offer the conclusion of the battle as a peace offering... OH! If you're checking this on the Weekend, then go back a couple of chapters. If you ignored me then, SPOILER ALERT!**

Rocky smirked back. "Lucky break." he said. "I'm undefeated; do you really think you'll be the first to beat me, kid? I got this Terrfist from my dad, it's unstoppable!"

_So that's it_. I thought. _That would explain how no one's ever beaten it, in Rocky's care at least. His dad must have trained it as a Terpip, and he's been using the highly trained Terrfist ever since. Still, I don't plan on losing, today_. "Water gun, go!" I shouted. Shellder let a water gun loose, but...

"Dig!" Rocky shouted. His Terrfist burrowed underground, avoiding the attack.

Over at the bleachers, Bane and Alysson had been watching the fight, with rapt attention.

"That's not good." Bane stated.

Alysson nodded, not caring that Bane wasn't looking. "He's in trouble, all right. Rocky's dad is Bruno, one of the Elite 4, in the Kanto region."

Bane's head snapped away from the battle, to stare at her, bewildered. "What!" he shouted, drawing a couple of shut up's from the audience. "He's using a Pokemon that was trained by one of the Elite 4? Shouldn't that be illegal!"

Alysson sighed. "Unfortunately, no. It's perfectly legal." she said, trying to figure out where Terrfist would pop up. Bane grumbled. And suddenly, Terrfist popped up, knocking Shellder into the sky. "That can't be good."

Back to Storm, on the battlefield.

_No, no, no!_ I thought. "Shellder, use withdraw to brace yourself!" I shouted up to it.

"Terrfist, mach punch!" Rocky ordered. Terrfist raised its fist and smacked Shellder, knocking him right into the ceiling of the Gym. Shellder fell and hit the ground with a painful thunk.

The official raised his red flag. "Shellder is unable to battle, this round goes to Terrfist!" he announced. As the crowd cheered and I returned Shellder, the official came over to me, handing me Karryash's pokeball. "Good luck." he said quietly as he walked away.

I looked at Terrfist, trying to think of its weak point. I hadn't been able to hit it with Shellder, so I didn't really get a good read on how good its defenses were. Then I got an idea. "Karryash, battle time!" I called, Karryash popping out of its pokeball. He ruffled his feathers upon release, apparently fully healed, and upon seeing Terrfist, ran behind my leg, as it had done when Alysson frightened it.

The entire crowd erupted into laughter at the appearance of my frightened Pokemon. By this point, I ignored their taunting, and focused on Karryash. "Karryash. This battle is really important, okay? I know it's huge, and it has three giant arms and it wants to pummel you, but... We have to win this for our family." I encouraged. It was truly, immensely important to win that battle. The victory money for beating Rocky was 2000 poke. It might not be much, but it would help my family a heck of a lot.

Karryash cheeped, and I saw a fire in his eyes as bright as mine. He nodded and walked out into the battlefield, staring down Terrfist. The official interjected an announcement. "To the winners of this round, go the victory. Is that clear?" he asked us. We both nodded, each fiercely determined to win. "Final round, begin!"

"Terrfist, go for mach punch!" Rocky shouted.

"Karryash, Fleetfoot!" I countered. Karryash ran around Terrfist, avoiding its many flailing fists.

"Grr... Terrfist, give that chicken a pummeling!" Rocky shouted angrily.

"Terrrrrr-FIST!" the rock monster shouted, swinging its arms crazily.

"Good work, Karryash!" I yelled. "Fall back and use ember!" Karryash ran a good distance away from Terrfist's range, and followed with a scorching ember.

"Terrrrrrrr!" the Terrfist roared, limbs flailing. Unfortunately, one of the arms hit Karryash, knocking it into the sky.

"Karryash, fly! FLY LIKE THE WIND!" I shouted in a panic. Karryash flapped its wings and stopped its descent easily, keeping itself airborne.

"No way, it can fly?" Rocky asked, dumbfounded.

"Sweet Stunfisk, didn't see that comi- I mean, yeah! And it can also do this! Flying corkscrew!" I commanded, making up a new attack on the spot, as Karryash zoomed toward Terrfist.

"Dig!" Rocky countered.

"Not this time. Ember into the hole!" I shouted in retaliation. As soon as Terrfist was underground, Karryash fired embers into it, and by the roar everyone heard, it's safe to assume they hit their mark.

"Terrfist, get up! We can't lose! We just can't!" Rocky yelled desperately. Terrfist surfaced, not even attempting to hit Karryash, exhausted and panting, (even though it didn't have mouth).

"Karryash, finish it with-" I was cut off, however, as the official stepped onto the arena.

"This Terrfist is in no condition to battle." he announced, loudly. "This round goes to Karryash. The challenger, Storm Craigson, is the winner!" I just stood there for a minute, stunned. The crowd was quiet, until one voice shouted.

"Way to go, Storm!" Bane yelled, standing up. The whole audience joined him, with applause and cheering.

"I did it." I said, barely whispering. "I beat the Gym Leader."

"No way!" I heard from a distance. In the center of the battlefield, Rocky was yelling at the official. "Terrfist could'a beaten him, if we'd had more time!" he shouted furiously.

The official shook his head and looked at Rocky, glaring. "Look at Terrfist." he said calmly.

"What?"

"Look at Terrfist." he repeated. Rocky looked over, and saw Terrfist, panting and resting its arms. "Now, look at Karryash." the official added. Rocky looked over, seeing Karryash doing victory laps in the sky. "Terrfist was going to lose either way, and I think you know it. Why torture it by continuing the fight?" the judge explained.

"But... That's ridiculous! We still could've-"

"What would your father say, if he saw how you were treating his prize Pokemon!" the judge yelled, quiet enough for the audience to remain unaware of the conversation.

Rocky's expression changed, from anger to shock, then to hurt. "I... I didn't..." but he couldn't find the words to explain it and hung his head. The judge walked away, as I approached Rocky.

"Umm, hey." I greeted awkwardly.

He nodded, still looking down. "Hi..."

I wasn't quite sure what to say. _Hey, I know you're dealing with a heavy emotional issue right now, but could you give me that 2000 poke and the badge now?_ No, that definitely wasn't it. "...So, umm."

He wordlessly took my hand, put something in it, and walked away, back to the ornate doors at the back of the Gym. I looked in my hand and saw what he put there. It was an envelope, and a small metal pendent. The pendent was in the shape of a mountain, two ruby-colored eyes looking out in a glare. My first badge!

"Great job, Storm!" Alysson congratulated, walking over to me.

"He seemed like a jerk." Bane said. "Was he arguing with the ref, a minute ago?" he asked, following Alysson and resting his hands behind his head.

I shook my head. "Thanks Alysson, and I'm not sure what he was talking to the referee about, but I got my first badge!" I shouted, a little over excitedly.

"What's that?" Bane asked, pointing to the envelope in my hand. I opened it and beamed. It was the prize money, 2000 poke. Bane's eyes bulged, "Whoa. That's a nice little bonus." he said.

Alysson nodded. "Well, Rocky'll probably need some time to heal his Pokemon, before he's ready for another battle. Wanna go celebrate?"

Me and Bane agreed and we headed out, but first I stopped by the post office, and mailed 1200 poke to my family. I know I agreed to only send them half, but... Well, they didn't have to know, right? Anyways, we decided to go to the local cafe for our celebration lunch. "To Storm's victory!" Alysson toasted, raising her glass.

"And to my future victory." Bane added, raising his glass.

I raised mine. "To victory." I said, as we clinked our glasses.

We each took a drink and Alysson tapped my arm. I looked at her and she silently pointed over to the side. I discreetly looked that way to see George, Sir Roderick's friend, sitting at a table. Moreover, he was using a PokePad. I caught a glimpse of the screen, and on it was a snapshot from my fight with Rocky.

"Well, that's weird." Bane stated. He was practically standing in his chair to see the image, however Alysson pulled him back down before George noticed.

"Do you think Roderick's here?" I asked them. I wasn't particularly afraid of him but he's pretty high up, officially. Heck, you really can't get any higher unless you're the King, himself.

"Pardon me," someone said, from behind me, "is that seat taken?" I turned to see, none other than Roderick's friend, George, standing behind me.

**Mwahahahaha! I'm just a jerk, ain't I? But, don't worry. There won't be as many cliffhangers from this point forward. And, I added Terrfist to the "Terr" family's Pokefile. (chapter slot 12)**

**Bane: Yeah, yeah. When do I get to battle Rocky?**

**...Hey, does anyone else think Pokemon is running out of ideas, or is it just me?**

**Bane: You're avoiding my question.**

***ignores* I mean, the two new ones look like they took Kyurem and fused him with the other two dragons of Black and White. Granted, that's kinda the idea, but...still...**

**Bane: *eyebrow raise* What two new pokemon?**

**Well, ya'know how Giratina and Shaymin got new forms in Platinum?**

**Bane: *nods* Go on.**

**They gave Kyurem two new forms. One's "Black Kyurem" and the other's "White Kyurem". They look like fusion Pokemon.**

**Bane: *spaced out* Sorry, what? I was just imagining a fusion of Rhyperior and Moltres. *grins* That'd be awesome.**

**...Yeah, sorry about him. And don't worry, Bane got his "Whopper fix", so he won't be yapping about them anymore.**

**Bane: ...Did it ever occur to you that we say enough in these little author's notes to make an entire story?**

***nods* Yeah, but I have no idea what site would take _"Storm and Bane's Ramblings!"_**

**Bane: Okay, we've gone on long enough. If you would look at the area just below (Directly down from here!) we ask you to hit that little "review" button and write to us. Thank you.**


	19. Chapter 16: A Disappearance

_Uploaded March 12, 2012_

"Is this seat taken?" George repeated.

"...No. You can have it." I replied hesitantly.

"Thank you." he said, nodding politely, and taking the seat. "I am Sir George Laurel. I saw your battle, at the Gym, earlier." he said, introducing himself.

"Oh, you did?" I asked, unsure of where this was going.

"Yes, it was excellent." he complimented. "My good friend, Sir Roderick, was unable to attend, but I shall be sure to tell him of it later."

"Oh, shame." I said, trying to hide my relief.

"So, you're a knight?" Alysson asked, trying to change the subject.

He nodded. "A member of His Majesty's court. I was knighted by good King Griffith, rest his soul." he finished, putting his hand over his heart. After a moment, he continued. "My good friend, Sir Roderick, was also knighted by the old King."

I nodded. "Wow. So, what are you doing here, in Ironhill?" I asked.

"Well, that's proprietary." he said, adjusting his glasses. "But I can tell you that we are always looking for fine, young trainers, like yourself." This was kind of a shock. I had heard rumors that some of the Knights in the King's Court were training young Pokemon trainers, as protoges. Was he considering me?

"Now, I'm very impressed with your skills, but that's all I can say, at the moment. Keep an eye out for me, in the future, will you?" he finished, getting up from his seat.

I nodded. "Okay." I said, awestruck. Was I being considered to train under someone in the King's Court? That's huge!

"Good day, all." he said, as he left.

After he was gone, Bane spoke first. "I don't like that guy." he said, glaring at the door George had left through.

Alysson was surprised, and so was I, to be honest. "Why not? He seemed really nice." Alysson said, and frankly, I agreed with her, but... There was something odd about him.

Bane nodded. "Exactly. Those suave and debonair types are the ones you have to watch out for." he said, his glare intensifying, and even frightening away a person who was about to walk in.

Alysson smacked him upside his head. "Okay, seriously? I think you're just jealous." she said with a grin.

Bane laughed. He didn't chuckle, or snicker, he openly laughed. "And what would I be jealous of? His hair?" he asked, laughing some more.

Alysson sighed. "Don't you have a battle to fight?" she asked, realizing that the old topic of conversation was going nowhere.

He grinned confidently. "You mean 'a battle to win'."

I chuckled. "Well, I think he's had some time. Let's get going." I said, standing up.

We went to the Gym, but when we got there... "Gone? Waddaya mean gone?" Bane asked the official, who was standing outside the Gym doors.

"It is like I said. Rocky is gone. No one knows where he is." the official explained.

"But, didn't he tell anyone he was going out? Or when he'd be back?" Alysson asked with concern.

The referee shook his head. "I'm sorry, but-"

"Sir! Sir!" someone called from inside. We saw Parkin, Rocky's oddly dressed friend, run outside with a paper in his hand. He handed the paper to the official.

The official took the paper and scanned it, his face growing concerned. After a minute, he sighed. "I believe this will tell you where Rocky is." he said, handing the paper to us.

Bane took the paper immediately, reading it as Alysson and I read over his shoulders. It read this:

_Parkin, I leave you this note as a friend and fellow Pokemon trainer. I realized, after that last match, that I really don't know the meaning of being a Gym Leader. I am determined to find that meaning, and so, I am leaving. If the Gym is unattended during that time, then so be it; I must go. I tell you, alone, because I will ask you to wait to tell everyone, until I am gone. My best wishes to you, my friend. -Rocky_

Bane did not take this well. "HE LEFT!" Bane roared, after reading the letter.

The official nodded, apparently unfazed by Bane's outburst. "Apparently so."

Parkin scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, I only found the letter a minute ago." he explained, somewhat embarrassed.

Alysson nodded and smiled. "It's okay, but that does create a little problem for us..."

"Little?" Bane asked incredulously. "It's HUGE! How am I gonna get into the Pokemon League, without all 8 badges!" he shouted, panicking.

Alysson shook her head and sighed. "You do know that there are more than eight Gyms, right?"

Bane's head snapped toward her with amazing speed. "W-what?" he stuttered.

"Yep. There's a total of 12 Gyms in Kenewyore." she confirmed. "You didn't know that?"

Bane looked relieved. "Well, that's good, but it's still gonna put me behind schedule."

Then I remembered something. "Wait, weren't you telling me something about getting discounts with badges, the other day?" I asked Bane.

He nodded. "Yeah, but I only know up to 8. There are probably more." he explained pensively.

The official nodded. "It's well worth getting more badges, past 8, just for those discounts. Not to mention other reasons. Furthermore, carrying one badge, like the Stalwart Badge you just received, allows you 15% off every meal in certain restaurants in Kenewyore."

"That's good, at least." Alysson said, being the optimist.

I sighed. "Well, if that's the case, we should probably get going. Alysson, do you know-"

"Where the next town with a Gym is?" she said, finishing my question. "Yep, it's Dreamrir. They have a Gym there, and a couple of cool sights, as well."

Bane got his grin back. "Well, what are we waiting for? To Dreamrir! This way!" he shouted, running toward Ironhill Cave.

"It's that way." Alysson stated calmly, pointing toward Route 10.

"This way!" Bane repeated, turning around and going the right direction.

Alysson facepalmed and I laughed. We arrived at Route 10 and saw Bane waiting for us. "Come on, Slowpokes, what's takin' ya!" he shouted.

"Oh, you just want Karryash around, in case the Ferroseed attack you again." Alysson accused with a giggle.

Bane flinched. "Maybe." he said, walking onto Route 10. As soon as he did, however, he was met with a Ferroseed falling from a tree and hitting him in the face.

Alysson laughed and I called Karryash out. "Watch out for the Ferroseed." I told Karryash, pointing at the one Bane was trying to get off his face.

"GAH!" Bane shouted, finally pulling it off and throwing it into the brush. "Stupid bug."

"Actually, it's a grass and steel-type, not a bug-type." Alysson stated, matter-of-factly.

Bane glared at her. "Well, whoop-de-doo for them." he said sarcastically, getting up.

I shook my head, grinning. "Shall we continue?" They agreed, and we pressed on. Along the trail, we fought some wild Pokemon, gaining experience for our own. Nothing of any real interest happened, however, until...

"I'm bored!" Bane shouted as we were walking.

We were kind of caught off guard by this sudden whining. "What? Since when?" I asked. I thought he had been pretty content, with all the Pokemon battles he had, but apparently not.

"Since it got boring." Bane stated, resting his hands behind his head.

Alysson sighed. "You know, I didn't sigh this much, before I met you." she stated, rubbing her temples.

Bane smirked. "Nice to know I've made a difference in the world." He remarked happily. We continued on, until we found an area we decided was safe to break at. There, we stopped for a snack.

"Let's see..." I grabbed around in my bag, looking for each person and Pokemon's food, since I was the designated food keeper. "Sandwich for me, Chesto Berry for Karryash, Coba Berry for Shellder..." I paused. From a certain angle, the Coba Berry looked similar to a Shellder, with its shell shut. "...Cool. Sandwich for Alysson, Chesto Berry for Normlos, taco for Bane-, wait, where'd you get a taco?" I asked my black-haired traveling companion.

He shrugged, laying down and resting his head on a rock. "I bought it at a fast-food place. Taco Bellsprout, I think." I gave all the food around, but Bane had a complaint. "Hey, can I have a berry?" he said, more of a demand, than a question.

"Why? Didn't you say you already brought food for Porygon?" I asked. When I was packing food earlier, he said he had Porygon covered.

He nodded. "Yeah, but I need one for... Wait, I never told you guys, did I?" he asked with a smirk.

"Told us what?" Alysson asked curiously.

Bane's smirk widened to a grin. "I got a new Pokemon." he announced proudly.

"Congrats." I congratulated. "What is it?"

He took a pokeball from his belt. "This." he said, as a red light flashed from the pokeball.

**Sorry it's late - here it is!**


	20. Chapter 17: Hey You, Pokemon!

As the red beam faded away, we could see that his new Pokemon was an Anorith. "Wow! Is that the same one from yesterday?" Alysson asked, looking the little prehistoric bug over.

Bane nodded proudly. "Yep. I caught it while you were watching Storm's battle with Shellder, yesterday. Of course, that had the side effect of making the Ferroseed angry, because I interrupted their battle." he explained.

I nodded, getting a Chesto Berry from my bag. "Well, welcome to the team, Anorith." I said, rolling the berry over to it. It grabbed it with its pincers and ate. At least I could see this guy's mouth, if only a little.

"So, when were you planning on showing us the little guy?" Alysson asked, petting it lightly.

It purred, yes, purred, as Bane answered. "Well, it was going to be a surprise, when you guys saw it in my Gym battle with Rocky."

We called our Pokemon out and fed them, while we had our snack and talked some more. "So Alysson, what's the Dreamrir Gym's specialty?" Bane asked, as the topic of why Hitmonchan wears a dress, and where he gets the boxing gloves when he evolves from a Tyrogue died off.

Alysson stopped eating to focus on this topic. "According to my book he uses Dark-types, but it doesn't have any specifics."

Bane made a thinking pose. "Dark-types. Anorith would be good for that."

Meanwhile, over with the Pokemon...

Anorith was having a conversation with Porygon and Karryash over what the trainers were like, Normlos was trying to talk to Shellder and Shellder was trying to take a nap.

"So, Storm's the leader?" Anorith asked his two pseudo-guides.

"Negative." Porygon responded electronically. "No role of leadership has been declared, as of yet."

Karryash nodded. "Yeah, what he said. We all work together."

Anorith crossed his pincers, thinking. "So, who decides what to do, when there's an argument?"

Again, Porygon answered the curious newcomer. "At this point, the only arguments that have occurred, to my knowledge, have been between Master Bane, and Alysson. Storm has been the one to resolve these conflicts."

Karryash nodded again. "Yep. Storm's good at solving problems." he said happily. Anorith seemed satisfied, and they moved on to other topics.

"Oh, come on. Why not?" Normlos asked Shellder.

"Because I'm trying to sleep." he answered sternly, shutting his shell tighter. Normlos had been asking Shellder to play ever since they finished eating. That was a while ago.

"But I'm bored!" Normlos whined.

"You sound like Bane." Shellder commented.

Normlos glared, hissing a little. "No, I don't! He's rude, and he picks on Alysson." she explained.

At this moment, Porygon chose to hover over and join their discussion. "Incorrect. Master Bane does not 'pick on Alysson', as you suggest." Porygon contradicted. "He is, simply, not articulate."

Normlos stared at him a moment. "Articu-what?" she asked, tilting her head.

"It means he talks funny." Shellder said, taking interest in the new conversation.

Porygon turned to Shellder. "Incorrect. The correct definition of articulate is as follows: 'Articulate - expressing oneself easily or characterized by clear expressive language.' Not 'talking funny'." he corrected.

Shellder opened his shell to glare at Porygon. "I was paraphrasing." he said grumpily.

"No, you were not. To paraphrase is to-"

"Oh, put a sock in it!" Shellder interrupted.

Porygon glared at the shellfish. "There are kinder ways to ask for quietude." he stated.

Shellder shut his shell back. "I know." he replied.

Anorith sighed. "Are they always like this?" he asked Karryash.

The poor fire bird shrugged his wings. "I hope not. This is the first time they've been around each other." he explained as Porygon continued to glare at Shellder, occasionally pecking it.

Suddenly, Shellder shot off a water gun, hitting Porygon. "Was that necessary?" Porygon asked, shaking the water off.

"I don't know. Was it necessary to PECK me?" Shellder retaliated.

"Yes, I was attempting to get your attention." Porygon replied.

"What for?" Shellder asked.

"For this." Porygon replied, tackling Shellder, and flipping it on its back.

Alysson, Storm and Bane had been watching this exchange since Alysson noticed Porygon pecking Shellder, and told the others.

"Wow. They really don't like each other, do they?" Alysson asked, watching Shellder attempt to flip over. It wasn't going well.

"Well, at least we know Shellder's weakness." Bane stated with a smirk as Anorith tried to help Shellder flip over.

"You're heavy." Anorith groaned, trying to flip Shellder over.

"Oh, shut up." Shellder replied indignantly.

"It also doesn't help that I'm the only Pokemon here with arms." Anorith stated.

The other pokemon were slightly offended, until they realized this was true. Karryash had wings, Shellder was a shell (and currently incapacitated), Porygon had feet, but no legs, which is why he hovered, rather that waddle and Normlos had no appendages, at all.

After a moment, Storm walked over and flipped Shellder over, much to the shellfish's relief. "Thanks." he thanked his recently gained trainer. Storm nodded and walked back over, putting away the food and maps he had gotten out, and getting ready to continue their journey. "Can they understand us?" Shellder asked the other Pokemon.

"Negative. Human and Pokemon language differ in variance. These humans do not understand the Pokemon language." Porygon replied.

Karryash flapped its wings. "I think they understand a little. Like when we're sad, or happy, or angry." he said. "I think a trainer has a special connection with their Pokemon. At least that's what Storm's mom and dad say."

Porygon nodded. "It is true that Master Bane has been able to determine my feelings and sometimes known what I was thinking about, or what I needed." he agreed pensively.

"And whenever I'm sad or upset, Alysson gives me a big hug to help me through it!" Normlos added.

Anorith nodded in understanding. "So, a trainer can understand their Pokemon's feelings?"

Karryash shrugged. "I'm not sure. You and Shellder haven't been with us for very long, so it might take some time."

"Alright, time to be movin' on." Bane announced, standing up. He returned Porygon, keeping Anorith out for training.

Alysson nodded, getting up. "Normlos, here girl." she said, as Normlos slithered up her leg, and onto her shoulder.

Storm got up and went over to Shellder and Karryash. "So, which one of you wants to stay out?" he asked. Shellder hopped up and down, as Karryash sat down with a plop. Storm laughed. "Well, that answers that." he said, recalling Karryash to his pokeball, and picking Shellder up. "And you aren't that heavy." he said, recalling Anorith's struggle to lift him earlier, and the look on Shellder's face.

Shellder smiled, sticking its tongue out. _Maybe it doesn't take that much time, after all_. he thought as Storm carried him down the road.

**Bane: Holy Tauros! Pokemon can talk!**

**Not exactly. They can talk in a universally understood Pokemon language, but people can't understand it.**

**Bane:...I like Porygon.**

**Big shock there. Anywho, there's another chapter. I know its a little later, but I've been working on a new story, and my time's been a bit divided.**

**Bane: AM I IN IT? AM I IN IT? AMIINIT!**

**o.O Yes... And Alysson too. SPEAKING OF WHICH! I'm not sure if i mentioned this before (and I'm too lazy to double-check), but Alysson belongs to my sister. She also has an acount here now, too. She's FunFanFicForYou. So, if you see her using Alysson, it's hers. I also gave her permission to use Storm and Bane in her first story. :)**

**Bane: Wait, what? I don't want to be used!**

***facepalm* Just shut up. Please.**

**Bane: Nah. B)**

**-_- Why me?**

**Bane: Umm... I'm your OC?**

**...NO HABLA ESPANOL!**

**Bane:...You just said "I don't speak Spanish"...in Spanish.**

**Yup, welcome to my world. *plays Pokemon theme song on youtube***

**Bane:...PLZ REVIEW! TTYL! XD**


	21. Chapter 18: Walking Through The Forest

**Hey, sorry I'm a little later than usual (granted that's usual now), but school's been hitting me hard and I got a couple new fanfic ideas (both Kingdom Hearts) and have had to divide my focus. Sorry to bore you, I'll talk more at the bottom. For now, Chapter 18!**

We had gotten tired from walking, ran into a bunch of traveling trainers, battled some wild Pokemon, and pretty much bored ourselves to death with talking. "I'm bo-ored." Bane stated, with Porygon hovering beside.

"Well, too bad." I replied. "It's not much farther, so man up." Yes, I was irritated. It was about 7pm, and all I'd eaten since lunch was a sandwich.

Alysson yawned. "We should've been there by now, according to the map."

"May I?" I asked. She handed me the map, and I looked it over. I stopped in my tracks. "According to this map... we passed it." I stated in shock.

Bane and Alysson stopped, and looked at me, dumbfounded. "What?" they asked in unison.

I confirmed it on the map and repeated, "We missed a turn, back by the huge oak tree, when we fought those Ponyta." Alysson stared, mouth agape, and Bane just fell over. "Bane?" I asked, walking over. He had fainted.

Alysson sighed. "Where's the closest city?" she asked, taking the map back.

I shrugged. "By now we're way past Dreamrir. The closest place would be that big one." I said, pointing to a point on the map labeled, "Prishine".

She nodded, yawning. "Yup. Well, let's wake Bane up and get going."

We turned to the still unconscious Bane and had Shellder spray him into consciousness. "Woozle puppets!" Bane shouted as he jolted up and looked around. "What happened?" he asked.

"You fainted. We're gonna go to Prishine City." I replied bluntly.

He nodded. "Alright, how far is it?" he asked, stretching.

"About an hour away." Alysson replied, after checking her book.

We all sighed in unison. "Let's get going." Bane grumbled.

We walked on, paying extra close attention to the map, and soon, nightfall hit. "It's pretty dark. Are you sure we're headed the right way, Alysson?" Bane asked our official mapkeeper. "...Alysson?" Bane repeated, looking around.

I facepalmed. "Don't tell me we lost Alysson." I said, about ready to smack my face off a tree.

"Umm, okay. We didn't lose Alysson. She lost us." Bane said, walking the other direction.

"We must've gotten separated back at that last turn. If we go back there, we should find her." I suggested, going said direction with Bane. We had Karryash and Porygon out for protection, and they were talking to each other.

And now, let's see what's happening with Alysson...

"Huh, that's interesting. Hey, Bane? ...Bane?" I looked around, but there was no one there.

"Bane? Storm? Guys?" I called out. _Ugh, those boys_. I thought. "HEEEEY!" I shouted, and I heard something from a bush nearby. "Bane? Storm? Is that you?" I asked, going closer.

And now, back with the guys, a look at the Pokemon's perspective.

"Did you see Alysson leave?" Karryash asked Porygon.

"Affirmative. Alysson left us exactly 3 minutes and 47 seconds ago." Porygon replied.

Karryash was surprised. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I attempted to, however Master Bane said 'be quiet, I'm thinking'. Of course, I did so."

Karryash huffed. "Well he should've listened."

"I cannot disobey Master Bane's orders. I am his Pokemon, he is my trainer." Porygon argued.

"But, you still should've told him." Karryash said quietly.

Porygon seemed confused. "Should have? Does 'should have' not mean something that I am supposed to do?"

Karryash nodded. "Yep, why?"

Porygon thought for a moment. "Telling Master Bane where Alysson was would have kept us from becoming separated, however, I would have been disobeying Master Bane, in doing so. Quite the conundrum." it said.

Suddenly, as they found the fork in the road, they were interrupted by a shriek from the other path. "Alysson!" Bane and Storm shouted, running ahead, their Pokemon in tow.

Now, back to Storm's perspective.

"Was that her?" I asked Bane as we ran.

"I don't know, but we shouldn't take chances." Bane answered. We ran until we heard another shriek, from above us. We looked up to see Alysson with her hands tied in a vine, and hanging from a fifty-foot tall tree.

"Hey, what's up?" Bane joked, already calming down.

"GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!" Alysson yelled back.

"Alright, but are you sure you're done hanging around?" he joked again, laughing.

"Are you done, yet?" I asked, starting to climb the tree.

"Just a sec. You look a little tied up at the moment, but, may I say, your outfit's de-vine!" he shouted, laughing hysterically.

I rolled my eyes and climbed up to Alysson, Karryash flying up with me. "Be careful. A Ferrothorn put me up here, and I don't know where it is." Alysson warned, as I reached the branch her hands were tied to.

"Thanks for the warning." I said sarcastically, grabbing the vines. However, as I did, they wiggled. "Stop wiggling."

"I'm not." she told me, hanging perfectly still. Suddenly, a vine shot out of the branches and hit me, knocking me off the tree and into the air. "Storm!" Alysson yelled, as I plummeted.

Meanwhile, I was keeping my cool. "HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP!" I shouted, limbs flailing as Karryash tried, in vain, to pull me out of my descent.

"Porygon, protect Storm!" I heard Bane yell. I was rushing toward the ground and closed my eyes, awaiting the splat. I waited...and waited...and waited...but I didn't splat. I opened my eyes, to see that I was on ground again, and glowing green. "Hey." Bane greeted. "I had Porygon protect you from the fall." he explained.

"Hey, I'm still up here, ya'know!" Alysson yelled, as she struggled against the vines. From above her, her captor appeared, out of the leaves.

"Ferrrrroooo." it moaned. The Ferrothorn was fierce-looking and had an unusual coloring. Its body was a dingy yellow and it had red vine arms. Its eyes glowered at us from above.

"FERROOOOOO!" it roared, scaring some Pidgey out of a nearby tree.

"What is it, Ferrocious?" questioned a voice from the trees.

"Hey! Who's there?" Bane ordered

"Ferrrrrr-Ferrothorn." the Ferrothorn said, ignoring Bane.

"Oh, my. Well, we can't have that, can we?" said the voice. Suddenly, a figure jumped out of the tree, and onto the branch Alysson was tied to. It was a man, dressed in green. His outfit was very flashy, and decorated in many ways; embroidering, monogrammed, the works. His shoes matched, and on his head he wore a green fedora. His face was most interesting, with a green mask with a beak, like those worn at a masquerade. "My, my, my. And just who are you three?" he asked us with a grin.

"Let Alysson go!" Bane shouted up to him.

The figure laughed. "So, her name is Alysson, hmm?" he asked. "Well, it appears you've found our training ground, and we can't have you telling anyone about that, can we, Ferrocious?" he asked his apparently nicknamed Ferrothorn.

"Thorrrrr." it replied in a growl.

"Hey! You hear me? Let her go!" Bane repeated.

The man nodded. "Well, you heard him, Ferrocious." his smile turned sinister. "Let her go!"

The vines tying Alysson's hands turned out to be Ferrothorn's arms, and he had just let go of her. She fell, screaming. "Protect, Porygon!" Bane shouted. Porygon focused and a green aura surrounded Alysson, just as it had with me.

As she hit the ground I winced, but she appeared fine, even getting up without a problem. "Thanks, Bane." she said, looking back up at the mysterious man. "Hey, what was that for!"

He let out a cackle. "For secrecy, my dear. You see, I have kept me, my Pokemon, and our training grounds a secret for a very, very long time, and I can't risk you children revealing it, can I?" he asked, Ferrocious moving over by him.

"Or, we could just ignore this little meeting." I suggested meekly.

"No way! As soon as we get to town, I'm gonna turn him in to the police!" Alysson shouted. I mentally facepalmed.

The man jumped down from the 50-foot tree, landing gently, in front of us. "My, my. Well, if you will not be silent..." he began, taking out two pokeballs, "Then I will silence you!" he finished, throwing the pokeballs into the air, releasing two more Pokemon.

The first was a PorygonZ, a fully-evolved form of Porygon, but, like Ferrothorn, it had an abnormal coloring. Where its body was normally blue, it was white, and where its body was usually pink, it was blue. "Porrrrrrr." it whirred mechanically.

The second was a Pokemon I recognized from the news. A few weeks ago, there were reports of a rare, oddly colored Pokemon, committing robberies, and somehow escaping, before police arrived. It was never caught, but I think I just found it.

It was a Gatechomp. A five-foot tall, seventeen-foot long, blue alligator Pokemon, with giant silver teeth, and five rows of silver ridges across its back... Well, it usually is. This one was also oddly colored, and had a purple body, and copper teeth and ridges. I'm sensing a pattern here. "GAAAAAATE!" it roared, baring its fangs and slowly approaching.

"We'll need more Pokemon to take these guys on." Bane said, as the Ferrothorn climbed down the tree, joining its trainer. "Anorith, help us out, here!" he shouted, calling out Anorith.

I agreed with him. "Shellder, battle time!" I called, bringing out Shellder.

"You too, Normlos!" Alysson shouted, calling out her snake Pokemon.

The man cackled again. "My, my. Five whole Pokemon, for me to play with? This is going to be fun." he finished with a cruel, toothy grin.

Alysson cringed. "Who are you?" she asked.

He let out a mad cackle, and bowed, removing his hat, and revealing very short, brown hair. "Those who have seen my work, call me The Phantom. And those who have met me don't call me anything. Would you like to know why? Because no one who meets me is ever seen again. Ahahahahahahahaha!"

**The Phantom, ladies and gentlemen! What do you think?**

**Bane: Meh.**

"**Meh?" Waddaya mean "meh?"**

**Bane: *shrugs* Just meh.**

***Sigh* So, as I said my time's being divided and I'm not getting as much done as I'd like. So, in order to keep my chapters to quality, rather than punctuality, future chapters may take longer.**

**Bane: *sobs* Why! WHY!**

…**Was there an in there?**

**Bane: Yup. There certainly was.**

…**Please…please review…**


	22. Chapter 19: Dance of The Phantom!

_Uploaded April 5th, 2012_

**Hello, people of earth! I am getting inspiration for this story as we speak! (so, hopefully, I won't have to stop posting one every week) Here's the chapter! Exclamation Point!.**

The Phantom began the fight. "Combo #4!" he called out.

"Say what?" Bane asked, looking very confused.

The Phantom smirked. "I have taught my Pokemon combination attacks, wherein they combine their separate attacks, to form a new, stronger attack, as well as giving those attacks code names, to keep my opponents from knowing what's coming. And this conversation has just given them time to charge it. Thank you, kindly." he explained.

His trio attacked, Ferrothorn using solarbeam, PorygonZ using tri-attack, and Gatechomp using hydro pump. "Quick, dodge!" I shouted. All of us moved frantically, to dodge, but Shellder was too slow.

The poor shellfish quickly shut its shell, taking the triple blow, head on. The attack smacked Shellder into a rock, and he fell, hitting the ground with a thud. The Phantom laughed. "Please. You call that a Pokemon?" he asked, laughing cruelly.

"Shellder, you okay?" I shouted to Shellder, fully aware of his defensive abilities.

"My, my. Please, child. My own Pokemon couldn't take an attack like that, there's simply no way that-" The Phantom was cut off when Shellder yelped, jumping up and ready to battle. "What? Impossible! No Pokemon has ever survived Combination #4!" he exclaimed, becoming very unraveled.

I smirked. "Shellder, twinneedle on Gatechomp!" I shouted. Shellder's horns grew and glowed as he hopped over toward the enormous alligator.

"GateGuard, hydro pump!" Phantom ordered. Gatechomp, now known as GateGuard, loosed hydro pump at Shellder, but we were ready.

"Spinneedle!" I shouted, as Shellder started spinning, deflecting the hydro pump, and following with a twinneedle right in GateGuard's face.

"CHOOOOOOOOMP!" it roared, tossing its head in pain, but Phantom retaliated. "Bite, GateGuard!" he shouted, as GateGuard opened its massive maw, biting down on Shellder.

"Hold on, Shellder! Karryash, Ember!" I hollered. Karryash pelted GateGuard with embers, but the massive croc just kept biting, ignoring the light flames.

"Porygon, give that Gatechomp a flash cannon!" Bane shouted, joining the battle. Porygon charged a silver sphere and shot it toward GateGuard.

"I don't think so." Phantom said. "Z, zap cannon!" At his command, PorygonZ shot a sphere of electrical energy at Porygon's silver orb, destroying both.

"Grr, stay outta my way!" Bane roared. "Porygon, show that blue and white turkey a real Porygon's power!"

As Porygon and Z began trading blows, I focused on Shellder. "Shellder, twinneedle!" I shouted. Again, Shellder shot his spikes out, forcing GateGuard to either let go, or gain two new nostrils. It let go. "Now, withdraw!" Shellder clamped its shell shut, focusing its defense.

"My, my, my." Phantom grumbled, putting his hand to his chin and rubbing it. "You aren't half-bad, are you? ...Ferrocious, bring that little eel into the battle." he commanded, gesturing to Normlos.

"Normlos, be careful!" Alysson shouted, now a part of the battle. The Ferrothorn approached Normlos slowly, walking on its vines.

"Ferrocious, power whip!" Phantom ordered. Ferrocious whipped one of its vines at Normlos, wrapping it around the unfortunate, striped snake.

"Normlos!" Alysson shrieked. "You put her down, now!" she ordered Phantom.

He laughed, mercilessly. "Very well." His sinister grin returned. "Ferrocious? Put her down!" The Ferrothorn tossed Normlos onto the ground, the poor Pokemon bouncing along the ground, before stopping with a thud.

Now, after this, you might think Alysson would be sad, or scared. Instead, she was angry. No, to say that Alysson was angry would be the understatement of the century. She was- "**How **_**DARE**_** you**?" Alysson seethed, a rage the likes of which I had never seen before erupting from her. "**NORMLOS, HURRICANE**!" she roared. Normlos got up and loosed an amazingly powerful hurricane attack, from its mouth, on Ferrocious, instantly knocking it out.

We were speechless. Utterly speechless, completely dumbfounded, stunned beyond thought. "But...little...tiny...so powerful...how?" Phantom babbled, staring at Normlos, the two-foot tall snake Pokemon that had just KO'd his Ferrothorn, with an attack that had an immense type-disadvantage, in shock. "How? How can that little Pokemon do that!" he shouted.

"Yeah, I'd kinda like to know that too." Bane agreed. Even the Pokemon had stopped their battles to stare in amazement at the little snake.

Alysson was still fuming, so she ignored the questioning "**Normlos, teach that jerk some manners!**" Normlos shot another hurricane at GateGuard, knocking it into the air. It fell with a loud thud, very efficiently KO'd.

This did not please The Phantom. "What! This can't be happening. Z, show that pip-squeak who's boss!" he ordered. Z responded by shooting a zap cannon at Normlos.

"Oh no, you don't!" Bane shouted. "Porygon, protect and tackle!" Porygon blocked Z's shot and rushed it, knocking Phantom's last Pokemon for a loop.

"Z, retaliate with signal beam!" Phantom ordered. PorygonZ shot a red and green beam at Porygon, dealing significant damage.

"Grr. Anorith, scratch!" Bane shouted. Anorith scuttled over to Z, scratching it. Unfortunately, this did little more than make Z cock its head to the side.

"My, my. That is a weak Pokemon, isn't it?" Phantom commented, as he laughed.

This made Bane mad. "Porygon, fry that duck!" he shouted.

"...Why do you keep referring to my Z as a bird?" Phantom asked, as Porygon charged an attack. Porygon released a thunderbolt attack, striking Z and paralyzing it. "Z! Stop that goose! ...Oh, now I see. That does make sense." Phantom said, in an odd realization.

Nevertheless, Bane continued. "Anorith harden. Porygon, tackle Anorith!" this earned a collective "What!" from the entire group. Still, Anorith hardened, and Porygon tackled it, sending it flying through the air, until it collided with Z's head, knocking it out.

"My, my, my, my, my, my, my! This can't be! This simply can't be! I, The Phantom, defeated by children! NO! I CAN'T BE BEATEN! I JUST_ CAN'T!_" Phantom shouted hysterically, falling onto his knees.

Bane chuckled. "Man, that's pathetic. Good job, guys." he said, recalling Anorith.

I nodded. "You too, Karryash." I said, returning my fire chick.

Alysson, however, was not as joyous over our victory. "**You jerk!**" she shouted, stomping over to The Phantom.

"P-please, I'm sorry, don't turn me in." he begged. Bane was right, he was a wimp.

"First, you tie me to a fifty-foot tree, then, you drop me to the ground, in an attempt to squash me, then you attack Normlos, and now you ask me for **mercy?**" Alysson growled.

I walked over to her. "Alysson, calm down, we'll-"

"CALM DOWN!" she shouted, turning to me. "**HE TIED ME TO A TREE-**"

"Yeah, we know." Bane interrupted. "We'll turn him in, just-"

"SHUT UP, YOU!" she interrupted. After that, they had a long, loud, annoying argument, until-

"HEY! The Phantom's gone!" I shouted, looking around. Yep, he was gone.

"What? No way!" Alysson shouted, looking around, as well.

Bane groaned. "Great, he's gone. Along with his Pokemon.

Alysson glared at him. "Well, if you hadn't started arguing with me, we might've stopped him." she growled.

Bane glared back. "Well, if you-"

"!" Bane and Alysson covered their ears, trying to block out Karryash's screech.

"Look." I ordered, grabbing their attention. "We are all tired, it's 10pm. We are starving. We have been through a lot, tonight. Arguing will not help. Now, we are going to finish walking Route 10, and we are going to go to the Pokemon Center. We are going to eat, then we will go to bed, and we will sleep in. We will have pleasant dreams, and will wake up on the right side of the bed tomorrow. If that is a problem for you, then I will not care. Now, is everyone ready to go?" They replied with complaining and blaming. _**"IS EVERYONE READY TO GO!"**_I roared. They silently nodded, and we made our way down the remainder of Route 10.

Finally, we arrived in civilization; Prishine City, a metropolis that visitors say rivals the cities of Celadon and Castelia. "Beautiful, beautiful civilization." Bane said, almost in tears.

Alysson and I stared at him, as he got on his knees and kissed the ground. "...He needs sleep." I stated simply, picking Bane up by his arm and dragging him to the center.

Alysson just nodded and muttered, "He needs help." as she followed.

When we walked into the center, we drew many stares, from those who were still there at the late hour, and for good reason. We were a mess, to say the least. Our shirts were covered in a thick layer of dirt, and had many tears and rips in them. Our bodies were covered in bruises, and our hair was ratted and matted. On top of that, our faces had lines of sleep deprivation, which was odd, considering we were only up as late as we usually were, and we were not in the best mood.

"Food, please." Bane said simply, approaching the front desk.

The Nurse Joy looked taken aback. "Excuse me?" she asked.

I stepped up, still mostly awake. "Please excuse us. We've been out in Route 10 all day, then we met some 'Phantom' guy, and-"

"Oh, my!" she exclaimed, cutting me off. "The Phantom? Are you all okay? You poor things." she said, somewhat panicked.

I shrugged. "Yeah, we're fine. We took care of his Pokemon, so-"

"What? You actually beat his Pokemon?" she asked incredulously. "Please, tell me what happened."

I sighed. "Nurse, I would love to tell you. Honestly, I would, but we've been traveling all day, and we've only eaten a sandwich each." I told her truthfully. I was hungry and tired, dangit. Have you ever been hungry and tired like I have? No, no you have not.

"Oh, I'm sorry. If you'd like, I can have something made for you." she offered.

I was about to decline, and say we'd just get something from the cafeteria, until Bane shoved me out of the way. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he said, crying. Yes, he was crying.

The nurse just smiled. "After I get you three dinners, you can go to bed, and in the morning you can tell me about The Phantom." she said. We eagerly agreed and she fixed us, and our Pokemon, an amazing meal. Chicken and potatoes never tasted so good. Afterward he went to bed, and fell asleep immediately.

**The Phantom is vanquished (for now), our heroes are resting, and I've finally posted a chapter that doesn't end with a cliff-hanger!**

**Bane: Yeah, you really need to work on that.**

**...And now the Prishine Gym approaches!**

**Bane: Aww!**

**Storm: ? What?**

**Bane: I wanted to see more Pokemon interaction! It was funny.**

**Storm: Yeah, I agree.**

**Okay, I might... HEY! WHAT THE WAFFLE! *looks at Storm***

**Storm: *looks at Halestorming***

**...LEAVE BEFORE YOU COMPLETELY SHATTER THE FOURTH WALL!**

**Storm :'(**

**GO.**

**Storm: *leaves***

**Bane: ...That was wieeeerd...**

**...Read and Review, people! Other than a couple of people (whom I appreciate wholeheartedly), no one's reviewing!**

**Bane: Yeah! Don't you love me anymore! :'(**

**...EXACTLY! Do you want Bane to go on strike!...!**

**Bane: ...Wow. You're in the middle of working on a new random fanfic, aren't ya?**

**:)**

**Bane: ...Please review, before he dooms us all.**

**COME HERE, YOU!**

**Bane:Gottago,bye!AAAHHH!**


	23. Chapter 20: The Park in the City

_Uploaded Apr. 17th, 2012_

**Hi, everybody!**

**Bane: Huh? HOLY TAUROS, YOU'RE ALIVE!**

***glare* Haha. Sorry about the delay, people. My laptop broke, and all my stories were on there… And I didn't have a current backup.**

**Bane: O.O Seriously? NO!**

**Chill, Bane. I was able to get a disk from the company and recover all my data. No problem. Although now I am backing things up.**

**Bane: Cool. Should we start the story now?**

**Yes. Yes we should.**

The next morning, I woke up, refreshed and in a much better mood. I got up and saw Bane in the bed on the other side of the room. Alysson was, of course, in the girls' rooms. I hadn't changed last night, so I showered, got dressed, blah, blah, blah, do you all really care about my daily routine, that much? ...Didn't think so.

As I came back in, Bane was waking up. He stretched and let out an enormous yawn, reminding me of a Snorlax after it awakens. "Morning, sleeping beauty." I greeted him.

Regardless of his exhaustion, he was able to register the statement. "Haha. Very funny. You're hilarious." he replied, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

I grinned at him. "It's a gift." I said, remembering a comment he had made before.

We left after Bane did his morning routine, and if you really wanted to read about that, then I would be worried about your mental stability. Anyways, we got to the center's lobby, and were greeted by Alysson, already awake, and back to her cheerful self. "Hey sleepyheads, what took ya so long?" she asked.

I pointed to Bane, who, in turn, rolled his eyes. We sat down at a table nearby and got some biscuits for breakfast. "I love that badge discount system." I said as I sat down with a sausage biscuit and gravy. Bane had an egg, sausage, bacon and cheese muffin and Alysson had a cheese omelet. Bane and Alysson whole-heartedly agreed, as I had let them use my discount for their breakfast.

After we had been eating for a moment, a man in a trench coat sat at the empty seat. "Umm, hi." I greeted awkwardly.

"Hello." he said tipping his hat. He looked familiar. "Are you three the ones who saw The Phantom, last night?" he asked bluntly.

He had on a brown fedora with a black stripe, his trenchcoat, of course, and black pants. He had short, black hair, and wore a serious look on his face. "Maybe." Bane answered, looking at him suspiciously. "Why?"

The man took a wallet out of his coat and opened it, showing us a police badge. "I am detective Looker, of the International Police Force. I came from the Sinnoh region, looking for The Phantom, to bring him in for numerous crimes he has committed and I wish to ask you a few questions." he explained.

_So that's where I saw him!_ I thought._ He was the detective who had come to investigate the egg decline at Puzzlin._"Hey, aren't you-"

"Yes, I'm the detective who investigated the problem you had at Puzzlin." he answered, before I asked. "Now, about The Phantom." he continued. "What Pokemon did he have?"

"Well, he had a Ferrothorn he called Ferrocious." Alysson answered.

"And a Gatechomp, he nicknamed GateGuard." I continued.

"And a stupid, blue and white PorygonZ." Bane finished. "Stupid penguin."

Looker raised an eye. "Blue and white?" he asked. "What do you mean? Any member of the Porygon family is pink and blue."

I shook my head. "Well, all of his Pokemon had weird coloring. His Gatechomp was purple, his Ferrothorn was yellow with red vines, and PorygonZ was blue and white." I explained, listing them off in my head.

His eyes widened, and he muttered something I couldn't make out. After a moment, he asked, "Have you all ever heard of 'shiny Pokemon'?"

We looked at each other and shook our heads. He closed his eyes in thought. "Normally, a Pokemon has a specific color scheme, for each species, correct?" he asked. We agreed and he continued, "Well, in extremely rare circumstances, a Pokemon has an unusual color scheme. This Pokemon is called a 'shiny Pokemon'."

Bane raised an eyebrow. "How rare?" he asked skeptically.

Looker opened his eyes. "Pokemon experts put the chance of finding one at 1 in 8192." Our eyes widened in surprise. "However, some people are luckier than others." he continued. "Some trainers go their whole lives without seeing one, while others have reported seeing dozens."

I was the first to speak up. "Wow. That's rare. How'd he get three?"

He shook his head. "Only he would know. Now, what can you tell me about The Phantom, himself?" he asked.

We thought for a moment, until Alysson answered, "He's a jerk." This got no reaction from Looker, so she continued. "He tied me to a tree, and tried to drop me from fifty feet up."

He nodded. "We're aware of his cruel nature. What was he wearing?"

"He was wearing a weird, gold and green, fancy suit, and a mask with a beak." Bane answered.

Looker nodded in thought. "That matches other descriptions, if only in different colors. Thank you for your time. You ran into him around Route 10, correct?" he asked, getting up. We nodded and he left.

After a minute, Bane went back to eating. We joined him until Alysson asked, "So, Storm, what was that about him coming to Puzzlin for some investigation about eggs?"

I looked up from my biscuit and swallowed. "Oh, yeah. A few years ago, eggs started becoming less frequent in the areas near our town. And that's kinda important; since every trainer from Puzzlin starts with a Pokemon they got from eggs." I explained.

Bane paused his meal to interject, "So, what about you?" he asked, his mouth stuffed with muffin.

I looked at him. "What about me?" I asked confusedly.

He swallowed. "How'd you get your egg, if they're so hard to find?" he clarified.

I thought for a moment. "Well, it happened just before I met Sir Roderick." I went into the story of how I had found Karryash's egg, leaving out the part about the voice, like I had when I told my family.

"So you found it in a river?" Alysson asked.

I nodded. "Yep, and a few days later I got Karryash." I confirmed.

Bane dragged his fork around his plate in circles. "Still, that whole thing with all those Pokemon gathering around you was weird." he commented. "Almost like... I don't know." he said, dismissing it.

"What?" I urged him. "Almost like?"

"Like they were waiting for someone to find the egg." Alysson finished. Bane nodded, conforming that that's what he was saying.

We sat there, in silence, until Bane got up. "Well, what are we waiting for?" he asked. "Let's get goin'!" he ordered, walking outside. Me and Alysson looked at each other for a moment and shrugged. We dumped the remains of our trays and went outside to meet Bane.

Prishine City looked amazing, when one was awake enough to appreciate it, that is. It had enormous skyscrapers, and many other various buildings, but not so many as to give it that crowded, rush to and fro, city feeling. It felt big, but spacious.

"Cool city, huh?" Bane asked as we came out. We nodded in agreement and looked around for a bit. We visited the local park and found a Pokemon playground that we let our Pokemon relax at for a while. Bane thought that they should loosen up, before battle.

And now our Pokemon friends' perspective on their trip to the park.

"C'mon Porygon, it's fun!" Karryash called from atop the slide.

"Negative." Porygon replied. "I am content here." it said, hovering near Bane.

"He just thinks he's too good to play with us." Shellder scoffed ffrom the swingset... How did he...?

"WHEEE!" Normlos squealed, using her tail to swing from bar to bar on the monkey bars. "I like the playground!"

Shellder looked around. "Hey, where's Anorith?"

They all looked around, but didn't see him. Not on the slide, not on the swings, not on the teeter-totter, not on the carousel, not on the life-size Onix statue...wait.

"OOOOOONNNNN!" the Onix, now confirmed to be alive, roared. It leaned down to look at the heroes' Pokemon.

"H-hi..." Shellder stuttered, looking up at the enormous monolith.

Porygon hovered over to eye level with it. "Hello, I am referred to as Porygon. What is your designation?" it asked mechanically.

The Onix nodded lightly, which, to them, created a light breeze. "How do you do? My name is Rockford L. Onix. A pleasure to meet you." it said in a gruff, somewhat British accent.

Shellder fell off its swing, Karryash's eyes bulged, Normlos smiled and Porygon nodded back. "That is an unusual name for a Pokemon. It resembles a human name, more than a Pokemon's, does it not?" it asked, tilting its head slightly.

Rockford nodded. "My master names all of his Pokemon similarly. He believes Pokemon can be as civilized as humans, and, as such, should have similar names. As opposed to names like 'Kitty' or 'TNT'." he explained.

"Cool. I wish I had a humanish name." Anorith asked, from Onix's head.

"Anorith? What are you doing up there?" Shellder shouted up to the shellfish-like, bug-type Pokemon.

It peeked over in response. "Oh, hi Shellder." it said casually, as though it wasn't on the head of a giant rock snake. "Well, first I saw a really big rock, so I climbed it. Then, I saw an even bigger rock, and climbed it, too! Then another, then another, then another, then another, then another, then another, then another, then another, then another, then another, then another, then another, then another!, and then I was really high up...and now I'm here." he explained.

Shellder blinked. "Fascinating. So, Rocky-"

"It's Rockford." the Onix corrected.

"Right, Rockford, who is your trainer?" Shellder asked the behemoth.

Onix looked to the side. "That's him, talking with that officer." he said.

All the Pokemon looked over and saw a man wearing an orange suit and red tie, talking to a police officer, as Rockford said.

"He looks funny." Normlos stated bluntly.

If Shellder had a hand, he would have face-palmed. Instead, he jumped onto a stump, beside the little snake-Pokemon. "Are you stupid!" he shouted in a whisper. "You don't insult the trainer of a 460 pound-"

"Four-hundred, sixty-three pound." Porygon corrected him.

"What is this, 'everyone correct Shellder day'?" Shellder asked no one in particular. "Whatever, you don't insult the big Pokemon's trainer!" he finished scolding Normlos.

Normlos sniffled, almost crying. "O-okay. Sorry, Rocky." she said to the Onix.

It nodded politely, creating another breeze, which blew Shellder off of his stump and into a turtle-like position on the ground. Anorith laughed, and said something about 'karma', as Rockford replied, "It's alright, little one, he does dress unusually. Most people do, in his position." He turned to the man, a small smile on his stony face. "Master George is a very kind trainer. He cares for his Pokemon and never scolds us, unless absolutely necessary."

Porygon beeped. "Sir George Laurel. A knight in His Majesty's court, he has won numerous awards for Pokemon battle competitions, most notably in the Silver Conference, where he used only one Pokemon throughout the entire tournament. In personal records, he has met Storm, Alysson and Master Bane. He also travels with Sir Roderick Dorfin." it reported mechanically.

Rockford was stunned, to say the least. After a moment, he nodded slowly, creating no breeze. "Yes, that's correct, as far as I know. How did you..."

"My memory is mostly perfect. I can retain large quantities of memory without loss of records for up to 70 years. This is a very helpful ability, but I am unable to share this knowledge with Master Bane, due to our language barrier."

Onix nodded. "An amazing ability, indeed." It paused for a moment, then its eyes looked upward. "If it's not too terrible of an inconvenience, would you mind getting down from there?" he asked Anorith.

Anorith snorted, looking around. "Whatza? Whozzit?" he asked drowsily.

"Get down from there!" Shellder shouted up to him, still upside-down. "And could someone flip me up?"

"The correct pronunciation is, 'would someone, please, flip me over?' not to demand with improper grammar." Poygon corrected.

"Oh, shut up." The clam replied, indignantly.

"CANNONBALL!" Anorith shouted, landing on Shellder and bouncing off, somehow breaking the laws of physics and flipping Shellder right-side up.

"You have been flipped. Are you satisfied?" Porygon asked in its mechanical drone.

Shellder just glared at it. "Stupid Porygon." he muttered.

Porygon nodded. "From you, I take that as a compliment."

Rockford coughed, grabbing their attention, since it nearly blew them over. "I'm afraid I have been called. Farewell, my friends." he said, a red light enveloping him as he was pulled into a pokeball, in the hand of Sir George Laurel, who walked away.

After a moment Anorith popped his head out of the playground sand his head had gotten stuck in, due to his fall. "He was nice, and his head had a great view. I'm thinking about vacationing there."

Shellder gaped at him, tongue flopped out. "You- he- but- you can't- Gah!" he shouted in frustration, bouncing up and down.

Meanwhile, the flopping shellfish had attracted the attention of our three trainers. No, not the giant roar of a rock-monster, the flopping Shellder.

"What's wrong with him?" Bane asked.

Storm shrugged. "I'm not sure."

Alysson giggled. "Well, I don't suppose it's something a little snack can't fix, right?"

He nodded. "Sounds great. Bane?"

Bane was already up, and returning his Porygon. "Well, what're we waiting for? There's food to be eaten!" he declared, marching off toward a local fast-food place.

Storm and Alysson shrugged and Storm returned Karryash to its pokeball, deciding to try to calm Shellder down on their walk.

And now, we return to Storm's perspective, and the wonderful world of fast-food!

After that, we grabbed a quick lunch at Taco Bellsprout. "I love me some tacos!" Bane declared, carrying a tray stacked with, at least, seven tacos, as we grabbed a table.

"Good for you." I said, sitting down with my pitiful tray of one taco, and giving Shellder one of my sandwiches. Unfortunately, the badge discount system only works in Pokemon Center Cafeterias, and other "Pokemon League sponsored locations", as Nurse Joy said.

Alysson joined us with our drinks, her burrito and a plate of tomatoes. She then turned to her Pokemon. "Hungry, Normlos?" she asked it, grabbing a slice of tomato and holding it out for her.

"Norm-Normlos!" it squeaked, hissing with delight. Alysson fed it the tomato and happily watched it chew the Italian fruit. And yes, it's a fruit.

"Hey, are tomatoes a vegetable, or a fruit?" Bane asked, contemplating this puzzling conundrum.

"A fruit." I answered simply, taking a bite of my taco.

Bane turned to me. "But it looks like a vegetable." he stated pensively.

"Yeah, and Sudowoodo looks like a grass-type." I retorted, chewing my taco, and then swallowing. "So?"

Bane shrugged. "Yeah, yeah, 'don't judge a book by its cover', and all that. But I still think it's a vegetable." he stated.

"It has seeds in it." I deadpanned. "What vegetable has seeds in it?"

"Potatoes." he retorted.

"Seriously, dude? Seriously?" I asked incredulously.

He nodded. "Yep. Take a look, for yourself." He pulled a potato out of his pack and broke it open. He showed it to me and it did, in fact, have seeds.

"...WHAT KINDA FREAKY POTATO IS THIS!" I shouted, drawing strange looks from the patrons and cashiers.

Bane shrugged. "Not sure. They grow in my backyard." he said, taking a big drink of his coke.

I stared at him. "Where, exactly, do you live?"

"Actually, I come from Solatropia Island. My family lived there for a while, and found these potatoes. Then we moved to Clarion, and have lived there ever since. It's not far from Littlelog, which is why I went through there, to stock up on supplies and get to Ironhill. Then I met you guys." he explained, giving us his life story in a Cheri Berry.

"Wow." I said, taking in what he had said.

A large "BRUUUUP!" startled me out of my thoughts. Yep, Bane was certainly unusual. The black-haired trainer put his hands behind his head and sighed contently, his tray completely cleaned of all traces of food. "That was some good tacos."

"You ate all of them?" Alysson asked incredulously, still only half-done with her food.

Bane shrugged. "I gave one to Anorith." he explained as the little bug-type chewed its food. I shook my head and got up to get a refill.

"Hey, something just occurred to me." Alysson said.

"What? Storm and I have two Pokemon, and you only have one?" Bane asked.

She shook her head. "No, that's not it. But that is unfair. What I was gonna say is, did you guys bring any other clothes? I mean, those are starting to reek." she said, pinching her nose to emphasize her point.

I looked at my shirt. _Wow, I guess going through a cave, a couple routes and some Pokemon battles would really add up._My shirt was filthy; my pants too.

That's when I noticed that Alysson had changed clothes this morning. She now wore a red t-shirt, with blue jeans and black cowgirl boots. Her hair was also different, now let down and curled, reaching her mid-back. _How did I not notice that earlier?_

"Wow." Bane said simply, looking under his jacket, which was miraculously clean, only to see a stained and dirt covered shirt.

Alysson nodded. "Exactly. So now..." she began, standing up, "We go shopping!" she cheered, pumping her fist in the air.

Storm and Bane paled. "What's that mom? Be right there!" the black-haired genius shouted to empty air, running to the door.

Unfortunately for him, I grabbed him by the jacket collar. "If I'm going, you're going with me." I said in a low growl. He nodded reluctantly and we walked over to Alysson, who was holding the door open and smiling.

"This is gonna be so much fun!" she squealed, walking out and putting her arms around our shoulders.

**Bane: Wow, a bit long, don't you think?**

**Hey, they had to wait a long time. They should get a long chapter.**

**Bane: Fair enough. I have a burn on my side.**

**And I have a bump on my forehead. Deal with it. (Hints to a future KH story!)**

**Bane: Souldn't we ask people to read and review?**

…**They already read it, otherwise they wouldn't be reading _this._**

**Bane: What about reviewing? Some people judge a story by the number of reviews, and we don't even have one per chapter.**

***Slaps Bane!* How dare you! We do have a contant reviewer, and you dare to belittle her reviews! I take offence at that!**

**Bane: FORGIVE ME, WHAT'S-YOUR-NAME!**

…**Please review, kind people. Take pity on me for having to live with him in my head.**

**Bane: Hey! You rented me the room with a window in the front!**

…**Please review…**


	24. Pokefile: Gategnaw & Gatechomp

**Sorry it's a little late. Here's Gatechomp, and, as a bonus, his pre-evolution, Gategnaw!**

Gategnaw - the Snapjaw Pokemon

A basic-stage Pokemon. Evolves into Gatechomp when leveling up, past level 45, and exposed to excessive amounts of saltwater, such as oceans.

Steel/Water-type

An iron crocodile baby. Height: 2ft. 7in. Length: 4ft. 9in. Weight: 73lb. It is blue with a row of razor-sharp iron ridges along its back. It has a powerful jaw, with teeth that can slice a tire open in a snap. Its jaw has extraordinary power, but it can hurt itself if it snaps too hard. It has tiny, beady eyes that impair its ability to see, until adulthood. It is usually very competitive and loves any kind of saucy food. Contrary to its appearance, it will usually feel what appears to be guilt, if it harms anything unintentionally. Has been hunted to near extinction, there are only a few dozen left in the world. They mostly live in captivity, but it is rumored that they can be found in some ancient, underwater ruins.

Normal color: Blue body, Silver ridges and teeth

Shiny color: Purple body, Copper ridges and teeth

Gatechomp - the Snapjaw Pokemon

A first-stage Pokemon. Evolves from Gategnaw when leveling up, past level 45, and exposed to excessive amounts of saltwater, such as oceans.

Steel/Water-type

A monstrous iron crocodile Pokemon. Height: 5ft. 2in. Length: 16ft. 10in. Weight: 423lb. A much more monstrous form than its per-evolution, Gatechomp has many violent, competitive tendencies. It often will attack other Pokemon, for no reason at all, and will never refuse a challenge. It has five ridges lining it, from its neck to its tail, and ferocious silver fangs. It is so ferocious, that no other Pokemon will stay near its habitats. This Pokemon cannot be held in captivity, and can almost never be found in the wild. Most people say it's extinct.

Normal color: Blue body, Silver ridges and teeth

Shiny color: Purple body, Copper ridges and teeth

**Bane: Gate pokemon! Grr!**

**Meh. I like 'em.**

**Bane: Cool! Now, we gotta go, right?**

**Yep, we gotta get to writing more chapters. I've been slacking off lately.**

**Bane: A'ight. Bye, people!**


	25. Chapter 21: Prishine Gym, Here We Come!

_Uploaded April 25th, 2012_

**HELLO PEOPLE OF THE INTERNET!**

**Bane: …Did you have sugar this morning?**

**YEP! AND IT WAS GOOOOODD! :-D**

**Bane: …Ok… Shall we move on to the chapter? People wanna see the Gym Leader already!**

**NO SPOILERS! *THROWS SHOE AT bANE!***

**Bane: Ow! Please read. I'll try to calm him down.**

So, as you know, Alysson decided that Bane and I needed more clothes, and, honestly, I had to agree with her. One outfit covered in dirt wasn't the best outfit to show up in for a Gym battle. Fortunately for us, Prishine's many buildings included a mall.

"So, where do we start?" Alysson asked us, as we walked through the doors of the Prishine Mall.

Bane shrugged. "I don't know. I usually get my clothes online."

"How about Aeropelipper?" I suggested, looking around the mall's many kiosks.

Alysson nodded. "Sounds good. Now, where's one of those map things?"

"Here's one!" Bane called, pointing it out to us. "Let's see, Aeropelipper...Here it is, right by Staryubucks. Let's go."

So, we walked to Aeropelipper. It was actually, very uneventful. We picked out a few outfits and basically hurried out and got a few drinks at the food court. I got Diet Coke (the drink of champions!), Bane got Coke and Alysson got Iced Tea.

"Again, why Diet?" Bane asked me, as we say at a table that was near the Staryubucks. He basically bought copies of what he already had; a few black shirts and a few pairs of black pants. That's a little odd, in my opinion.

I shrugged. "Like I said, it rocks," I said, taking a sip of my diet gold. Unlike Bane, I had gotten a couple of different outfits. The one I was currently wearing was a red t-shirt with a white Aeropelipper jacket over it, blue jeans (as you know by now, I like them), and black tennis shoes.

Alysson was reading her book. "You guys interested in hearing about the Gym Leader?" she asked, flipping the page.

Bane grinned. "Duh! What's he got? And I get to fight 'im first!" he added, turning to me.

I held my hands up defensively. "I already said sorry. Besides, it's not my fault the Gym Leader decided to go soul-searching."

Alysson ignored us, focusing, instead, on Bane's question. "It looks like they use Poison-types," she said, examining one page.

I nodded. "Hmm, that's not gonna be easy. I don't think we have any Pokemon that are strong against those."

Bane chuckled. "Ahh, so young. So naive." he said condescendingly. I coughed loudly, prompting him to continue. "Porygon's conversion attack can make it the same type as one of its moves. Since I have Flash Cannon, it can change into a Steel-type, making it impervious to Poison-type attacks," he explained smugly.

I blinked. "Wow, nice strategy," I complimented. "But they're probably prepared for that; Most Poison-types have Fire-type moves, ya'know."

Alysson nodded. "He's right, ya'know. Don't be too cocky."

Bane smirked. "Please. This is in the bag," he said cockily.

Alysson was still reading, and her eyes widened. "Umm, Bane?" He nodded. "Do you know what 'Double Battles' are?"

Bans raised an eyebrow. "Duh. What is this, 2nd Generation?"

As I contemplated what he meant, Alysson continued. "Well, that's how this Gym Leader battles. She has a Muk and a Gengar, as well as a couple of other pokemon that she only uses on special occasions."

"Special occasions?" Bane asked. "Like what?"

Alysson shrugged. "Not sure. I got that from a rumor. The book does say that she has four Pokemon, and does 2-on-2 Double Battles, though." she explained.

Bane nodded, getting up. "So, what're we waiting for? Let's get going!" he shouted, running off. He passed the Staryubucks, but as he did, someone ran into him. "OW! Hey, watch it!" Bane yelled.

The guy who ran into Bane rubbed his head, the spot they collided at, and said, "Sorry, my bad." He wore a jean jacket, with a red t-shirt under it, jeans, and black tennis shoes. His hair was dark brown, medium-length, and styled to look messy. He looked older than all of us, about 18, and had a black eye. He got up and offered his hand to Bane to help him up, but Bane refused, getting up on his own and walking away. We followed silently, Alysson giving the guy an apologetic smile as we did.

After a couple of minutes we caught up with Bane. "Hey!" Alysson hollered. "What was that for?"

"The guy ran into me! What was I supposed to do?" Bane defended.

"He said he was sorry, the least you could do is try to be nice. Is that so hard?" Alysson shot back.

"Yes!" Bane returned. "He ran into me and knocked me over. And, contrary to popular belief, that doesn't exactly make people the best of friends," he said, saying the last part in a generically peppy voice.

I sighed. _I thought they had stopped arguing._ Anyways, we walked outside and Alysson led us to the Gym, since she didn't trust Bane to find it after what happened in Ironhill. He ended up guiding us to an overweight Pilate's class! It still gives me nightmares... So much... stretching...

Bane pushed open the doors, but this Gym was definitely different from the last one. It was also well-decorated and also had bleachers, but it had an overall purple theme, and there was a chandelier above the battlefield. Oh, did I mention that the battlefield was SURROUNDED BY SWAMP WATER! Seriously, it was purple! PURPLE! Even real swamp water isn't supposed to be purple!

"Wow." was Bane's only comment as we all walked in.

Alysson nodded. "Yeah."

"So this is the Gym, huh?" I asked, taking in my surroundings.

Bane stepped to the edge of the water. As he peered in, a blob of purple sludge sprung from the goo, causing Bane to scream like a four-year old girl. "Muuuuuukk." it groaned, a large, purple blob with two eyes and a gaping hole, that I assumed to be a mouth. It raised a three-fingered hand up, waving it back-and-forth. Had I not convinced myself that this was a pre-meal ritual, out of extreme fear, I might have realized that it was just saying hi. Instead, we all screamed and held each other.

That's when the other door opened. A young lady, about 21, walked out. She had long, black hair that was straightened and came down to her knees, and flat bangs. She had a purple, cropped long-sleeve shirt, cargo pant-capris and hiking boots on. She had a good figure and it looked like she worked out often, but she wasn't muscular, just fit. "Hey, hey, hey! What's going on here?" the newcomer shouted.

"MONSTER BLOB! MONSTER BLOB!" Bane shouted, pointing at the creature for emphasis.

"Monster blob? Oh, you mean Muk!" she exclaimed. "Here, Mukky!" she called.

The creature turned and... moved to her, crying, "Muuk!" as it did.

She grabbed it on arrival, hugging the goopy blob. "Who's a good little Mucky-wucky? You are! You are!" she said, rubbing the top of its... Head? Seriously, a Muk is tough to write about.

Meanwhile, Alysson, Bane and I were still holding each other. "What's she doing?" I asked in utter bewilderment.

"I think she's petting it," Bane whispered back.

"Can you actually pet a blob of goo?" Alysson asked quietly. Bane shrugged in reply as the woman returned the Muk to its pokeball and walked over.

"Hi," she greeted. "I'm Gulka, and this is my Gym." she announced, spreading her arms to emphasize it.

Bane eagerly forgot his previous fear and broke away from our group huddle, breaking it apart altogether. "I'm here for a match!" he declared bluntly.

Gulka nodded in reply. "Alrighty then, please step this way." she said, walking over to the edge of the battlefield. When they got there she yelled, "Hey! Bridges, please!"

In reply, we heard someone shout back, "Yes, ma'am!" We looked up and saw a person running across a catwalk, high above us, that we had apparently missed before. He ran to a wall and pulled a lever on it. Suddenly, four steel bridges sprung up from the sludge-water, one covering the four-foot gap between us and the battlefield on every side.

The Gym Leader walked across the one closest to us, followed by Bane. As Bane reached the Trainer's spot he stopped. Gulka continued on to the Gym Leader's spot. Alysson and I took our seats and, as she got there she twirled. Now facing Bane, she called out, "Jerry!"

On command a young man in the official Pokemon League referee attire (a purple vest over a white, long-sleeve, button-up shirt with black pants and black dress shoes) came. "You called?" he asked.

She nodded and turned to Bane. "We have a guest," she said.

The official nodded. "Yes, ma'am," he said, taking the referee's position. "This will be a two-on-two double battle match. There will be no substitutions allowed. Is that understood?" he asked. Upon receiving trainer's and Gym Leader's consent, he continued. "Stage change!" he shouted.

After a moment the entire arena shook and the center of the field opened up, into a circular swamp pool. "WHAT THE HAPPINY!" Bane shouted, after the stage metamorphosis.

"My stage has some differences from most stages," Gulka shouted. "Hope that's not a problem."

Bane folded his arms. "Well, a little warning'd be nice, but I guess it'll work," he said nonchalantly.

The referee turned to Bane. "Challenger, ready?" he asked.

Bane have a thumbs-up and a cocky grin. "Ready here!" he shouted.

The judge turned to Gulka. "Gym Leader, ready?" he yelled.

Gulka popped her knuckles and pulled out two pokeballs. "Ready," she stated. From her expression, it looked like she was psyching herself up.

The official raised both the red and green flags. "Begin!"

Right on cue, both Bane and Gulka threw their pokeballs, all their Pokemon coming out at once. Bane, of course, went with Porygon and Anorith, while Gulka chose the Muk she was petting earlier, and a Gengar. "Hey, wait," Bane said. "Isn't Gengar a Ghost-type?"

Gulka nodded. "Yes, but it's also part Poison-type," she clarified. "Gengar, shadow ball at Anorith! Muk, dive into the water!" she shouted. Her Pokemon obeyed on command, Muk diving in as Gengar shot off a purple, hazy sphere at Anorith.

"Porygon, protect! Anorith, use scratch!" Bane retaliated. Porygon shielded them with a large sphere that easily absorbed the shadow ball, and as the sphere disappeared Anorith scuttled nearer to Gengar and lunged upward, the scratch passing right through the Ghost-type.

Gulka chuckled. "Normal-type attacks don't work on Ghost-types," she stated. "Gengar, hypnosis!"

On command, Gengar went closer to Anorith and made odd motions with its arms. At that moment, my face fell forward and I abruptly smacked it into the railing, falling asleep.

**Since our usual storyteller is... incapacitated, let's see how Bane's viewing all this, shall we?**

I was battling Gulka when I heard a loud, metallic thunk to my right. I turned and saw Storm, asleep, with his face on the railing. Alysson pulled him up, revealing a fresh bruise on his face. "That's gonna hurt," I muttered, turning back to the battle.

Anorith fell asleep, like Storm, due to the effects of Hypnosis. "Gengar, shadow punch!" Gulka ordered. Her Gengar punched Anorith, flipping it over a couple of times.

"Porygon, conversion and flash cannon! Anorith, get up!" I shouted. This was not good. With Anorith out cold and her Muk still hiding in the swamp water, I was at a pretty big disadvantage.

Porygon glowed a light, transparent silver for a moment, then stopped. Then, it shot a silver sphere at Genger, but the agile pokemon dodged it with ease, even laughing about it! This angered Porygon, and believe me, Poygon is not easily angered. "Por-y-gon, GON!" Porygon shouted electronically, as it prepared another flash cannon and fired, surprising the cackling Ghost-type and hitting it right in the face!

"Nice shot, Porygon!" I shouted. "Now try waking Anorith up!"

However, as Porygon floated over to my sleeping Bug-type, a geyser of sludge flew from the pool in the center of the arena, raining swamp water down on the entire arena. Porygon stopped, suddenly shaking spastically. "Porygon, what's wrong?" I shouted to my Pokemon.

Gulka laughed. "That was Muk's sludge wave." she explained smugly. "And, apparently, it just poisoned your Porygon."

I took in the shock for a moment, then gave her my most confident smirk ever. "Excellent," I said in a calm, even-toned breath.

You see, I am what they call a "strategist". I already knew Gengar's fighting style: a quick heavy-hitter. Now I knew Muk's; it hides in the sludge, while using support techniques, to make Gengar's job easier. I knew how to take them down now, and I'll tell you exactly how I'd do it:

First, Porygon uses tackle to awaken Anorith. Second, Anorith uses sand-attack on the poison pool in the middle of the stage, forcing Muk out, due to the chemical imbalance. Third, Gulka will probably send Gengar to put my Pokemon back to sleep. To prevent this, I'll have Porygon use safeguard, an attack that keeps my team from being affected by special statuses. Fourth, Anorith uses water gun on Muk, weakening it. Fifth, Porygon blocks a Ghost-type move that Gengar will try to use on Anorith, and retaliates with flash cannon. Finally, Anorith hardens and Porygon tackles it into Muk, KOing it, followed by a flash cannon at Gengar, ending the match and getting me my badge. Easy.

"Porygon, tackle Anorith!" I commanded. Porygon tackled my bug, awakening it as I planned. _Now for step two._ "Anorith, sand-attack at the pool!" I commanded. Anorith approached the sludge pool, as I had planned.

"Muk, sludge wave!" Gulka commanded. Suddenly, a wave of sludge washed over Anorith, pushing him back and halting his attack. "Now hypnosis, Gengar!" she shouted.

Gengar moved in, so I moved up to step 3. "Porygon, safeguard, quick!" I shouted. Porygon glowed a transparent green, followed by Anorith, making them impervious to Gengar's hypnosis.

"Hmm, sand-attack won't work, huh?" I muttered. This changed things. _Since I can't get close enough, without Muk throwing a sludge wave at me, maybe... That's it!_ I thought. "Porygon, flash barrage, at the sludge pool!" I shouted.

Yeah, Storm isn't the only one who can come up with attack strategies with cool nicknames. Porygon charged up a silver sphere larger than the one it uses for flash cannon. However, Gulka wasn't gonna let me off that easy. "Gengar, sucker punch!" she shouted.

Gengar rushed forward, hitting Porygon before I could even decide how to counter. "PO-O-O-O-o-o-o-oorrr..." Porygon droned, falling on its side.

"No, Porygon!" I cried. "Porygon, get up! We can't lose! PORYGON!"

**And now, a new perspective...**

I sustained major injuries from Gengar's attack. Unfortunately, one side effect of flash barrage is that it leaves me open to an attack, while being prepared.

"Ma-a-a-as-ter Ba-a-aaane..." I cried as I fell over, exhausted. Diagnostic scan - Energy: 10%. Attack Power: 9%. Willpower: 0%. Cannot fight. Shutting dowwwwwnnnn...

"PORYGON!"

I suddenly became awake, fully energized by an unknown force. Diagnostic scan - Energy: 25%. Attack Power: 19%. Willpower: 100%. I will not surrender; so long as Master Bane orders, I will follow.

"Porygon is un-... What? Oh! Porygon is standing! The battle continues!" the official said in a tone of surprise.

"Porygon!" I heard Master Bane call. "You're okay!" I turned to him and looked in his eyes.

I am fully aware that humans and Pokemon cannot speak to each other, but I know, 100%, that Master Bane knew exactly what I was saying, right then. "I will not lose to them, so long as you wish to win, Master Bane."

He grinned, his confidence at 100%, from my readings. "Alright! Porygon, flash barrage! Anorith, cover him with water gun!"

I charged a flash barrage, as Gengar rushed toward me. This time, however, Anorith shielded me with his water gun. "I got your back, Pory!" he said with happiness in his voice. I nodded back to him, and released the flash barrage.

An intense array of flash cannons shot forth from the silver sphere I controlled, hitting Gengar through the air. Some shot into the pool of swamp water, now partially poisonous, due to Muk's influence, and forced the sludge Pokemon out of the water, and onto the battlefield. As Gengar flew through the air he attempted to recover. "You shall not halt Master Bane's quest!" I decreed, firing a powerful shot at the resilient Ghost-type Pokemon. Gengar received a critical hit and fell to the ground, unconscious. "That is why you do not mess with Porygon," I stated triumphantly.

**Bane: Boo-yah! I knew I liked that little polygonal pokemon.**

…

**Bane: …Yeah, he crashed after the sugar rush. Sorry 'bout that… Hey! That means I get to do the ending banter!**

…

**Bane: …It takes two people to banter, doesn't it?**

**Alysson: Yes. Yes it does.**

**Bane: ? How did you get here?**

**Alysson: I followed you went you went to the "grocery store", as you called it.**

**Bane: …Oh.**

***Yawns!* Mornin'. Have I missed much?**

**Alysson: No. We haven't even said, "Please review, kind readers!"**

**Bane: Well now we have.**

…**Too many people for one banter session. Bye, everybody!**

**Bane: Adios!**

**Alysson: Auf Wiedersehen!**


	26. Chapter 22: Mukking out the Gulka!

_Uploaded May 2nd, 2012_

**Yo, readers! Wassup?**

**Bane: …I am just…so sorry…so sorry…**

***glare* Anyways, let's get on with, THE EXCITING CONCLUSION OF BANE'S GYM BATTLE!**

**Bane: Yay! Will I win? Will I lose? Oh, the humanity! The suspense!**

…**At the moment, Storm is still unconscious, so let's let Bane continue telling the story, shall we?**

**Bane: No prob, Bob.**

…**Bob?**

_Wow. Porygon took out Gengar,_ I thought. "Oh yeah!" I shouted, pumping my fists.

"Gengar is unable to battle," the judge announced, raising the green flag on my side. "Point to the challenger."

_You bet, "point to the challenger"_! I thought. _Now, let's keep the pokeball rolling_. "Porygon, light screen! Anorith, water gun!" I shouted.

Porygon and Anorith glowed a transparent yellow, their defense raised. Anorith shot off a water gun, but Muk was nowhere near finished. "Muk, sludge wave!" Gulka ordered.

Muk summoned a wave of sludge from the pool and threw it at my Pokemon, blocking the water gun at the same time. I ordered them to dodge, but I had to run to the side of the field to avoid it as well. "Hey, careful!" I shouted to Gulka.

Gulka shrugged. "You dodged it," she said passively. "Muk, mud bomb!" Muk shot brown blobs from its hand, forcing Porygon and Anorith to run around dodging.

Suddenly Porygon stopped, shaking violently. "Oh no!" I cried. The poison was really taking its toll on Porygon. I guess he was just hiding it 'till now.

"Now, Muk! Sludge bomb!" Gulka shouted. Muk shot off a blob of sludge at Porygon, ready to knock him out.

Suddenly Anorith hopped in front of Porygon and took the hit! "Aaaaaannn!" it squealed as it flew into the swamp water.

"Anorith!" I shouted. But Muk was already shooting off another sludge bomb. "Porygon, dodge!"

Porygon attempted to dodge, but the poison made it too slow. The sludge bomb hit, knocking Porygon over and all but KO'd. "Porrrrrr." it whirred weakly.

"Muk, finish this battle." Gulka commanded. Muk moved nearer to Porygon, preparing to finish it with one last strike. But, when all hope seemed lost, _-sorry, I couldn't help myself- _Anorith sprang from the sludge and flew toward Muk, slashing it with a metal claw!

"MUUUUKKK!" it roared, flailing its arm. Anorith landed by Porygon, examining his weakened partner.

"Anorith, look out!" I shouted. Muk had already recovered and was advancing on them with its fist raised.

Suddenly, Anorith shouted something at the Muk. "Anor! Rith, rith, Anorith! An an anor anorith, rith-rith!" it shouted angrily. I don't know what it said, but it was enough to make Muk stop in its tracks to stare at my Bug-type.

"Anorith, metal claw! Porygon, flash cannon! Hurry!" I shouted. My Pokemon obeyed, hitting Muk with both Steel-type attacks. The sludge Pokemon slunk into a puddle, moaning.

"Muk is unable to battle," the ref declared, raising the green flag once more. "The challenger, Bane, is the winner!"

"Oh yeah!" I cheered. "Say it again!" The guy just shook his head for some reason. Oh well, I was happy. I turned and saw Storm coming to. Man, would this be a surprise to wake up to.

**Now, since Storm is finally awake, we can return to our regular point of view.**

I woke up with a headache hearing, 'Say it again!' "What happened?" I asked as I sat up.

I saw Alysson stand up beside me. "Oh good, you're awake. Bane won his Gym battle!" she said happily.

That woke me up. "What! How'd I miss that?" _Come to think of it, how'd I fall asleep?_

Alysson helped me up from the bleachers. "Gengar's hypnosis put you to sleep and Bane just won," she explained simply.

I looked over to Bane, who was moonwalking around the perimeter of the battlefield as the referee and Gulka stared in shock. I sighed as Alysson and I walked over to him.

Once we got to him, Gulka had already given him his badge and prize money. The badge was a purple circle, two white circles for eyes and a black mouth with purple, horizontal lines, looking like slime over the mouth. Bane showed it to us. "I got my first badge!" he declared.

"The Noxious Badge," Gulka clarified. "Not many people have it. Do try to show it off sometimes, won't you?"

Bane nodded. "Believe me, I am definitely gonna show it off!" he said, holding it up to the light of the chandelier.

Gulka nodded. "Good." she said, turning to me. "Now, I'll need a few minutes, then we can have our battle, 'kay?" she asked me. I was fine with that, so I agreed.

As we walked to the Pokemon Center Bane told me how his battle went, with Alysson providing assistance whenever he exaggerated. Bane exaggerated a lot.

"You did not save a baby in a stroller from being hit by that sludge wave," Alysson corrected the excited storyteller.

Bane shrugged. "True. But it could've happened," he said with his smirk. Yes, it's his now. "Now, I say we put these badge discounts to good use!" he said, triumphantly marching into the Pokemon Center.

Alysson sighed. "I wish I got badge discounts," she said sadly.

I smiled at her. "You can use mine," I offered.

She nodded, still looking down. "I know, but..."

"Hey! You guys comin'?" Bane hollered. "I demand a victory feast!"

I laughed and Alysson sighed, chuckling a little herself. We followed Bane in as he showed off his badge to anyone unfortunate enough to be within twenty feet of him.

**Bane: …Shorter than most of your chapters. Is this really an update?**

**Yes. And I'm gonna do another one this weekend. I've found my muse!**

**Bane: *sighs* I thought we'd lost him. Good to have Parker back.**

**I said _muse_, not _moose_! Anyway, I'll be posting Poisonpin's pokefile just a few moments after posting this! So, enjoy!**

**Bane: I think people are getting tired of seeing "Read and Review!" every chapter, so let's skip that this time, kay?**

**Okay. We won't put "Read and Review!" Sound good?**

**Bane: Yeah. "Read and Review!" can get a _little_ annoying to see every time. Bye people!**


	27. Pokefile: Poisonpin

_Also Uploaded May 2nd, 2012_

**Heeeeere's Poisonpin! I'll update its evolution line on this page, once they show up!**

Poisonpin - the Poison Quill Pokemon

A basic Pokemon. Evolves into Poisonpine when leveling up past level 21.

Poison-type

A small poison porcupine Pokemon.

Height: 11in.

Length: 1ft. 4in.

Weight: 12.45lb.

Description: Its body is black and small. It has small quills covering its back, that are dark purple, with lighter purple ends. Its face is gentle, with little, black, bead-like eyes, and a round, black nose. It has four tiny paws and can contract itself into a ball, while simultaneously stiffening its poisonous quills. It has a little mouth that can't open to the size of a golf ball. As such, it eats only Cheri Berries, and small nuts. Its habitats are largely forested areas and burrows, underground.

Normal color: Black body, Dark-Purple quills with Light-Purple tips

Shiny color: Grape-Purple body, Navy Blue quills with Electric-Blue tips


	28. Chapter 23: A Surprising Finish!

_Uploaded May 5th, 2012_

**Hey, just uploading a chapter really quick cuz, IT'S MY SISTER'S BIRTHDAY! YAHOO!**

**Bane: Really? Happy birthday, Halestorming's sis!**

**Yep. Now, on with the story!**

Bane treated us to lunch using some of his winnings and his new badge discount. Then Alysson stood up. "I'll be right back. I gotta take care of something," she explained...sorta. So we agreed to meet up at the Gym. Bane and I watched TV in the Pokemon Center's lounge for a while, then started back for the Gym and met Alysson partway there. On the rest of the way Bane and I talked about Gulka's strategies, and how best to fight against them. "So, she uses Gengar to put Pokemon to sleep, and Muk is a support Pokemon that hides in the sludge pool?" I summarized.

"Yep," Bane confirmed, resting his hands behind his head. "But don't underestimate her. She's a tough cookie."

"Okay," I assured him, thinking over which tactics would be best against the Poison-type Gym Leader.

"Um, guys? She does have 4 Pokemon, you know," Alysson pointed out. "She might use the others, since Storm would've seen those first two...if he hadn't been hypnotized."

Realization hit me. "Ahh. Yeah, she could, couldn't she?" I said with some disappointment. Any strategy me or Bane came up with would be useless against two completely different Pokemon.

We got to the Gym and walked inside. It was pretty much the same as the last time we entered, except for the sludge pool being gone and the person sitting in the bleachers waving over to us. It was the guy Bane ran into at Staryubucks. "Hey!" he called over to us.

Bane ignored him and sat a couple of rows down from him, Alysson sat down between them and I took my spot at the challenger's position. "I'm Alysson, what's your name?" Alysson asked, turning around to better see the guy with a black eye.

He smiled. "I'm Steve. Nice to meet you," he said, introducing himself.

Bane glanced over. "What's with the eye shadow?" he asked glaringly.

Steve raised an eyebrow. "Eye shadow? Oh, the black eye. Yeah, it's actually a bit embarrassing," he said, scratching the back of his head. "I kinda tripped and...well... It doesn't matter," he finished nervously.

Alysson shrugged. "Okay. So what brings you to the Gym?" she asked.

He sat up proudly. "I came to challenge the Gym Leader." He then shrugged. "But she said that she'd already agreed to battle someone else, so I have to wait."

The ornate doors opened once more and Gulka walked out. "So, you ready?" the Poison-specialty Gym Leader addressed me.

I nodded. "Yep," I replied anxiously.

She nodded back, walking to her spot on the battlefield opposite mine. "Jerry! Time for the next battle!" she called.

Jerry, the referee, walked in and took his position. "This will be a 2-on-2 double battle, with no substitutions allowed. Challenger, ready?" I nodded, pulling out my pokeballs. "Gym Leader, ready?" Gulka nodded, pulling out her pokeballs. "Begin!"

We tossed our pokeballs, Karryash and Shellder coming out on my side. Gulka, however, had chosen two new Pokemon as I'd feared. The first was a Beedrill that buzzed loudly as it appeared. The second was a little black creature, not even a foot tall, with purple hair, no wait, quills; dark purple quills with lighter purple tips lining its back. It had two bead-like eyes and a round black nose, like a ball. I think it had four tiny paws under it and, as Alysson commented, "That is just, so cute!"

"And, what exactly is it?" I asked my friend as she admired the tiny Pokemon.

She shrugged in response, so Gulka answered my question instead. "It's called a Poisonpin," she explained. "It's a pure Poison-type, like Muk. And, it's my newest pokemon," she added, crouching down and lightly petting its nose.

_Hmm, that makes sense._ I thought. _All of her other Pokemon are fully evolved, but this one looks like it's still in its basic-stage._ "Alright, Karryash, ember attack Beedrill!" I shouted, beginning the match.

"Beedrill, dodge and twinneedle!" she called. The bee Pokemon dodged, spinning around the flames, and thrust its needles toward Karryash.

"Shellder, use water gun to stop it!" I shouted. Shellder sprayed, but it missed and Beedrill's attack hit Karryash directly.

Luckily, Karryash is a Fire/Flying dual-type so Bug-type attacks like twinneedle do little damage. "Karryash, retaliate with peck!" I called. Karryash rushed but Beedrill flew upward to avoid it. "Fly after it, Karryash!" Karryash flew up, the two exchanging aerial acrobatics in an attempt to hit each other.

"Poisonpin, rollout!" Gulka commanded, returning my attention to the ground. The little black Pokemon rolled up into a ball and started toward Shellder.

"Shellder, rapid spin!" I retaliated. Shellder spun rapidly (imagine that), and when the rolling Poisonpin collided with my spinning Shellder they both spun out of control. Shellder spun around the field like a top, and Poisonpin bounced into the air, smacking Karryash and itself into the ground and leaving Beedrill with a look that can be described as O_o

"Karryash, you okay?" I called out to my fire chick.

Karryash bounced up cheeping, "Karry! Karry!"

I smiled. "Alright, ember!" I shouted. Karryash shot embers at Poisonpin, but the porcupine rolled into a ball, rendering it all but useless.

"Poisonpin, poison sting!" Gulka ordered. Poisonpin's quills' tips glowed a vivid violet, followed by shooting off several purple darts at both of my Pokemon.

"Karryash, fleetfoot! Shellder, withdraw!" I countered. Shellder shut his shell, the pins bouncing off, as Karryash ran around, avoiding most of them.

Unfortunately, Karryash was hit and poisoned by one of them. "Karryyy!" it cried, knocked to the ground.

"Karryash!" I called, but Gulka was by no means finished.

"Poisonpin, rollout! Beedrill, use poison sting!" she called. Her black hedgehog Pokemon rolled into a ball and knocked Karryash skyward, and right into Beedrill's line of fire.

Karryash fell to the ground, unconscious and, unfortunately, out of the match. The referee raised his red flag, "Karryash is unable to battle!" he announced. "Point to Gym Leader Gulka!"

_Only one Pokemon left, against both of hers._ I thought. _I've gotta think of something...! That's it!_ "Shellder, let's try triple play!" I shouted. Shellder looked at me, aghast. _Yes, triple play is risky, but I have no alternative_. After seeing the seriousness in my face Shellder nodded in understanding.

Triple play is a strategy that uses three moves, one of which Shellder just learned when he was at the park (I seriously have no idea how he learned a new move by swinging and squirming while upside-down).

The first move is rapid spin; Shellder complied by spinning so quickly that any attack on it would just damage the attacker. Second is Twinneedle; Shellder's two spikes elongated and grew as usual. The third is what really gives it its edge though: Icicle spear.

Shellder's twinneedle horns shot white spikes in random directions, nearly impossible to dodge. Luckily, Bane, Alysson, Steven, Gulka and Jerry were able to avoid them. "Hey, watch it!" Bane shouted, hiding behind a bleacher.

Personally, I decided that a garbage can would make a fine shield. "Sorry!" I yelled from behind said can.

Beedrill and Poisonpin were taking plenty of damage from the assault. "Grr...Poisonpin, try to stop that Shellder with a rollout!" Gulka called, hiding behind a SWAT shield that Jerry had brought her. Poisonpin rolled through the storm and hit Shellder, taking some recoil damage but slowing Shellder immensely, and stopping its attack. "Beedrill, twinneedle!" she followed. Her buzzing, battering, brawling Beedrill rushed Shellder, needles thrust forward.

"Shellder, withdraw!" I attempted to counter.

Unfortunately, Gulka was prepared. "Poisonpin, acid!" she called. Poisonpin slammed Shellder with a purple spray, knocking the shellfish out of focus and unprepared for Beedrill's twinneedle. Shellder was hit hard, maybe by a critical hit, and KO'd.

"...I...I lost..." I whispered. I couldn't believe it. I failed. I was beaten by the Gym Leader.

"Shellder is unable to battle!" Jerry called. "The winner is Gym Leader Gulka!" Gulka smiled victoriously and recalled her Pokemon as I stood there, defeated.

Bane and Alysson joined me on the battlefield. "Don't feel bad, Storm. She's a powerful opponent." Alysson said in an attempt to comfort me. It wasn't really working.

Bane then decided to add his two cents. "Meh. So you lost. Big deal." Did I say two cents? I meant a hey-penny.

Alysson sent him a warning glare and he shut up. She then returned her attention to me. "Storm..." but I raised a hand to silence her.

"It's okay," I said somewhat gloomily. "It's fine. Ya' win some, ya' lose some." I said, attempting a cheerful facade and failing pretty badly.

Gulka walked up to us. "Look kid, I know you're disappointed, but it's not that bad." Did everyone have to try and cheer me up? "Look, not a lot of people beat me. Your biggest problem was that tactic with Shellder. If Shellder had been in control of it then it might've worked. But he didn't, so it didn't," she explained coolly.

I was already defeated. I wasn't really listening, but Gulka continued anyway. She sighed. "Look, you're friend's victory was a fluke, 'kay? Most trainers don't take me on until their seventh badge, or so. Just get over it."

Bane did not like his victory being called a fluke. "Hey! I beat you out of me and my Pokemons' talent." he defended.

Gulka gave a condescending smile and waved it off. "Sure you did," she said in a tone matching her smile.

Now it was Alysson's turn to be mad. "Hey! I know you won and all, but can you at least be a little sensitive?" she asked.

Gulka shrugged impassively. "Hey, the truth hurts. Sorry, but it's true," she replied.

This was as much as Alysson could take. "That's it. You and me, right now," she ordered.

We were all surprised by this. "Hold on. You wanna battle me? Like a Pokemon battle?" Gulka asked unsurely.

Alysson nodded vigorously, placing her hands on her hips. "Yes. We are going to battle," she said, more of a statement than a request.

Bane decided to interject here. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Alysson, it's not that big a deal," Bane said, trying to reason with her. Alysson snapped her head toward Bane. "Shutting up now," he said hastily.

Our angry companion then turned back to Gulka. "I want a battle now," she demanded.

Gulka threw her hands in the air. "Fine, fine. If you insist. Hey, you okay with waitin'?" she asked Steve. He was about to protest, but upon receiving an icy glare from Alysson, silenced himself.

Gulka nodded. "A 2-on-2 double battle okay?" she asked Alysson, walking to her position.

"Fine by me," Alysson replied, taking her own place.

I was about to say something, but decided against it and just sat down with Bane, a row down from Steven. "Is she always like this?" Steven asked us quietly.

I shook my head slowly. "Not normally," I replied as the referee prepared the match.

"Both challenger and Gym Leader know the perimeter of this match?" he asked. Upon confirmation from both he continued. "Very well. Gym Leader, ready?" he asked.

Gulka nodded, retrieving two pokeballs. "I guess." she replied, seeming somewhat put off by the current situation.

"Challenger, ready?"

Alysson popped her right shoulder. "Ready, ref!" she shouted back, taking out two pokeballs... Wait, two?

The judge raised both flags. "Begin!"

**Hehehe. Bet'cha didn't see that coming, did ya'?**

**Bane: …You lost?**

***shrugs* No. Storm did.**

**Bane: …He's you…**

**He's a _personification_ of me, not me.**

**Bane: …That makes sense… (NOT!)**

**You know I can see that, right?**

**Bane: (No you can't…)**

**(Yes, I can…)**

**Bane: …I WANT ANOTHER POKEMON!**

**In time, my good friend. *evil grin* All in good time.**


	29. Chapter 24: Alysson VS Gulka!

_Uploaded May 14th, 2012_

**Behold, my friends, Alysson VS Gulka!**

**Bane: Read.**

Alysson and Gulka's match began. Alysson tossed out two Pokemon; one was her Normlos, but the other was a new Pokemon. This one-foot tall Pokemon had a red-and-blue body and two small wings (which, oddly enough, were inverted colors to each side of the body), a tiny beak, green rabbit-tail, four padded feet with practically no legs, and, to top it all off, two angry-looking eyes. "Jerbirfur!" it cawed, flapping it's wings proudly and beginning to preen itself.

"Huh. A bird/gerbil Pokemon," Bane observed, silently examining the new Pokemon.

I nodded. "Yeah, it's something alright," I agreed unfocusedly. I made a mental note to ask Alysson about it later.

Gulka had chosen her Muk and Beedrill. _Well, at least I won't be falling asleep during this match_, I thought to myself as Gulka gave her Beedrill a hyper potion.

"Normlos, bounce on Beedrill! Llama, rage!" Alysson called, opening the battle. Her Pokemon immediately followed, Normlos shooting upward and Llama puffing its chest _-Woah, woah, woah, Llama? What on earth would possess her to name a half-gerbil, half-bird Pokemon "Llama"?_ I added this curiosity to my mental notes as well. Normlos attempted to land on Beedrill, but the Bug-type was just too agile. "Keep trying, Normlos!" Alysson encouraged. Normlos continued her attempts, never staying on ground for more than half a second.

"Muk, sludge bomb at the bird thing," Gulka ordered. Muk let out a noise that sounded like both a groan and a roar at once and shot sludge blobs from its hand.

Llama just stood there and let the blobs hit it, one after the other, only flinching with each hit. "Keep it up, Llama!" Alysson encouraged. "Normlos, try acrobatics!"

_Man, bounce, hurricane, and now acrobatics? For a Normal-type this Pokemon sure has a lotta powerful Flying-type moves,_ I mentally noted. (I'm making a lotta notes, aren't I?) Normlos hopped around the arena on the tip of its tail and nose, then knocked Beedrill flying.

"Beedrill, twinneedle!" Gulka countered. Beedrill caught itself and thrust toward Normlos.

"Acrobatic dodge, Normlos!" Alysson called. Normlos agilely dodged Beedrill's many twinneedle attempts, quickly wearing out the buzzing Poison-type.

Meanwhile, Llama was taking all that Muk was dishing, and I for one was amazed it was still standing. "Alright, Llama, move outta Muk's line of fire, then use roost and wing attack!" Alysson ordered.

Gerbirfur got clear of Muk then closed its eyes in focus. "Roost heals a Pokemon," Bane pointed out upon my quizzical look at the little Pokemon.

"Thanks," I muttered, my full attention on the battle at hand. Llama opened its eyes and gave a great battle cry, suddenly rushing toward Muk at top speed. Considering Llama had very short legs, it was kind of funny to see a tiny round bird/gerbil waddle/running toward the large blob of poison that was Muk whilst crying out "GERBIRRRR!"

Bane held back a snicker and I just smirked. Then the Gerbirfur raised a wing and slapped Muk, knocking it back a good few feet in the process.

We all stared, eyes wide. "What was that!" Bane shouted after a moment. "Are ALL of your Pokemon ridiculously strong!"

Alysson giggled nervously and shuffled her feet. "Actually, Gerbirfur is more of a defensive Pokemon. That's how it was able to take all of Muk's attacks so easily," she explained. "Wing attack may look damaging, and have the added boost from rage, but it's not really very strong."

I looked at Muk. She was right; Muk looked surprised, but it didn't seem very injured. Bane shrugged. "I guess that attack's more for show than battle purposes," he said, now over the shock from the previous display.

I narrowed my eyes on the battlefield. "Not necessarily," I said, in deep concentration. Bane looked to me in confusion, prompting me to continue. "Look at where Beedrill and Normlos are fighting." I pointed out. Bane observed the two aerial-inclined Pokemon duking it out a distance behind Muk.

"Yeah, so?" he asked, still not seeing it.

I sighed. "Just watch for a minute," I said wearily. He observed the fight. Llama (still can't get over that name) was pushing Muk back, ever nearing Normlos and Beedrill's struggle.

"Alright, Normlos, turn it around!" Alysson shouted. Though neither Bane nor I had any idea what she meant, it appeared that Normlos did. The small snake positioned itself just right, so that when Beedrill lunged it hit Muk instead!

"MUUUK!" the blob Pokemon roared in pain. It then turned to Beedrill angrily. "Muk, muk!" it shouted indignantly at the bug.

Beedrill buzzed back angrily. While they were distracted Alysson called both of her Pokemon near to her and whispered something to them. They seemed to understand and ran back into position. I'm not sure Gulka saw this, as she was trying to stop her Pokemon's argument. "Just shut up, you two!" she shouted after several failed attempts at peace-making. They stopped to look at their trainer. "Finally," Gulka grumbled. "Alright, Muk, use mud shot! Beedrill, support with agility!" Gulka commanded, now back on the offensive.

Both Pokemon did as they were told, Muk shooting mud and Beedrill speedily circling the arena. Alysson smirked. "Alright guys, do it!" she shouted.

At her command Normlos jumped on top of Llama, who in turn flexed its wings backwards, somehow holding onto the snake. Normlos shot out a hurricane attack, while Llama aimed the little thing like a bazooka.

This attack was able to easily knock Beedrill into the wall, hard; and it easily blew Muk into the sky, not to mention making the rest of us hold onto the bleachers for our lives. "HEY! TURN DOWN THE A/C, WOULD YA!" Bane shouted, mostly airborne save for his hands that were holding onto the bleacher he once sat on.

Alysson shouted "Sorry!" over the wind and said something to her Pokemon that I couldn't hear over the wind. Suddenly the wind died down and Normlos hopped off of Llama's back. Muk laid, a motionless puddle on the floor, definitely KO'd. Beedrill was in no better shape; it was lodged into the wall so bad that Gulka had to return it to get it out.

After recalling her Pokemon, Gulka stood in silent awe for a moment. Alysson, on the other hand...

"Yay! We did it!" Alysson cheered, twirling in circles with Normlos in her outstretched arms and Llama flying in victory laps over them.

After another minute, Gulka walked over to Alysson and silently handed her her badge. Gulka turned to leave, but Alysson stopped her. "Hey!" Alysson called. Gulka looked over her shoulder. "Just get over it," Alysson said coolly, as Gulka had before.

Bane and I barely held back our laughter, still letting a chortle or two escape. Even Gulka let out a smirk at Alysson's comment. The Gym Leader then turned to look at me. "Hey," she called over. "How would you like a rematch, after you train some more?"

I was a little surprised by this. "Uh, yeah, sounds great." I called back. Gulka left through the ornate doors at the back, still smiling.

**Not my longest, I'll admit, but it was longer than chapter 4!**

**Bane: …Dude.**

…**Grr. Also, to anonymous reviewer "Pokekid", I'm afraid I cannot reveal the final form of Karryash, _yet!_**

**Bane: Whatever****.**

**GLARE!**

**Bane: ...You just said "GLARE!"**

**...TAITATSU!**

**Bane: ?**

**You'll get it later.**


	30. Chapter 25: Aftermath At The PCC

_Uploaded May 18__th__, 2012_

**Ahh, another day, another chapter.**

**Bane: Yup, and I like this one!**

**Me too. Read on, readers!**

We left the Gym with mixed feelings. Alysson was happy, I was in a funk, and Bane was Bane. "You guys hungry?" he asked, laying his hands behind his head.

Alysson looked at him with a raised eyebrow, then sighed. "Sure, why not?" she said, our group entering the Pokemon Center.

We went to the PCC (Pokemon Center Cafeteria) and each used our badge discounts to get our dinner. We sat at a table by a TV and began eating.

"Hey, do you guys ever wonder about Magikarp?" Bane asked randomly, taking a bite of his hamburger. Alysson and I exchanged a glance and shook our heads, genuinely wondering where this was going. Bane continued, "They just seem so...weird. I mean, you can't eat em', you can't train em'. What's the point of having one?"

Alysson answered him. "First, some people just like certain Pokemon. Second, they do evolve into Gyarados."

Bane looked at her. "Whaff that?" he asked through a mouthful of fries.

Alysson sighed, taking out her book. She flipped through for a minute and then showed Bane a picture of a Gyarados. Bane nearly choked on his fries. "*cough*, *cough*, I gotta get me one-a-those!" he exclaimed.

I was just swirling my spoon in my soup depressingly. Alysson noticed and said, "Storm? Storm?"

After a second I replied, "Yup?"

Alysson pouted, though I didn't see it at the time. "Storm, you need to stop. You can't be so sad over losing one battle," she said comfortingly. Unfortunately, it didn't help.

I sighed. "Look, Alysson, I know what you're trying to do, and thanks, but I just need some time," I said. Yes, I was being overly dramatic, but if you knew how I felt then you wouldn't have blamed me.

Bane groaned quietly. "Look, time is one thing we don't have. You need to get over this so we can get moving. Alysson, where-"

"If you ask me where the next Gym is, I will grab your jacket and slap you in the face with it," Alysson replied coldly.

"...Is the bathroom," Bane finished. Alysson was embarrassed for having lost her temper, but Bane told me later that he was actually going to ask where the next Gym was, anyway.

"Um, over there," Alysson said, pointing to a door on the far wall.

"Thank you, kindly," he said in a slight western accent, as he got up and left.

Alysson looked back to me. "Storm, I know how it feels," she said, reopening her attempt to comfort me.

_Fat chance._ I thought. "No, you don't," I mumbled, laying my spoon on the side of my bowl.

Alysson nodded. "Yes, I do," she insisted. "A loss can be huge to a trainer, but you just need to-"

"No," I interrupted curtly.

Alysson looked confused and slightly annoyed. "No?" she asked.

I sighed agitatedly. "It's not just losing. I'm not just running around trying to collect badges so that I can go around bragging that I'm a good trainer; I couldn't care less about that," I told her.

Alysson's look softened. "Then what is it? What's got you so depressed?"

I closed my eyes. "Alysson. You wouldn't understand," I said, holding back tears.

"...Maybe not. But maybe I can...if you tell me," she suggested softly.

Tears began forming around my closed eyelids. "My family. We...we were tricked out of our money and I've been trying to help by sending them the money I win from Gym's but... I lost..." I began to choke up.

"Storm..." Alysson said sympathetically.

"I just feel so helpless," I said, tears starting to fall down my face. "My mom, my dad, my sister. They're all counting on me...and I'm failing them." I started to sob.

I don't know if anyone else heard me. At that moment, I couldn't care less. I was oblivious to the world around me. I was in my world of despair...of failure.

"...Storm, look at me," Alysson said in a stern, but soft voice. I looked up. She looked into my eyes and I saw something. You know how they say "the eyes are the window to the soul"? Well, through that window, I saw hope. What I saw in her eyes, though silent as she was, said more than words ever could. She reassured me of my doubts, filled me with comfort, and gave me an uplifting when I needed it most.

I sniffled. "Th-thanks Alysson." I said, my tears stopping as I smiled at her.

She smiled back. "I'm your friend, Storm. I'll always be there to help you when you need me. And I'm sure Bane would say the same thing."

"Whew! That was disgusting!" Bane said, walking back to the table. "No one should have to sit in the stall next to THAT guy!" Bane told us, sitting down with a plop.

Alysson glared at the unfortunate boy. "That," she started. "That is what you choose to say, after all that just happened?" she said, her voice rising. "You know, sometimes you are just... UGH!" she yelled, storming off into the girls' rooms.

Bane turned to me. "What'd I miss?" he asked naively. I laughed and we walked back to our room, Bane still utterly confused as we drifted off to sleep.

...

The morning sun greeted us with a brilliant glow and the beautiful songs of the Pidgeys in the wind. Bane, however, had a different viewpoint.

"Shut up, stupid birds! I'm trying to sleep!" he said grumpily, putting his pillow over his head in an attempt to shield himself from the day.

I got up and took a deep breath. "Aah... You know, Bane. Some days you just wake up and feel like the whole world's right," I said.

Bane looked at me from under his pillow. "Yeah, and then you watch the morning news," he said snippily.

I got up, dressed, yada, yada, yada... Anyways, I went out and noticed that Alysson wasn't out yet, so I just went over and watched the TV. There was a special called "Gym Leaders Around the World!" which interested me, so I watched it.

Currently, there was a reporter sitting at his desk. "Thank you, Donna, for that interesting look at the fiery style of Flannery, Hoenn's Fire-specialty Gym Leader," he said. "Now let's turn to Jennifer with Johto's Fighting-specialist, Chuck!"

The screen changed to a young woman with long black hair and glasses, with what looked like a cliffside of waterfalls behind her. "Thanks, Jeff!" the reporter replied peppily. "We're here today to interview Chuck, who was just challenged recently by Marshall, of the Unova Elite 4!" She turned to a large man with an equally large mustache. His hair was tied in the back and he wore no shirt, slightly disturbing me. His wrists had bandage strips around them and he wore a confident smirk that rivaled Bane's. "Gym Leader Chuck, what are your thoughts on the upcoming match?"

Chuck let out a booming laugh. "If he thinks I'm gonna be intimidated just because he's an elite, he's got another thing comin'!" he said confidently. "I'm gonna wipe the floor with him and his Pokemon!" he added, letting out another boisterous laugh.

The reporter nodded. "Thank you, Chuck. Well, I guess that's all here. Back to you in the studio, Jeff!"

The screen flipped back to Jeff, who was combing his hair. After a couple of seconds he looked at the camera and threw his comb offscreen. A quiet "ow!" was heard. "Thanks, Jennifer!"

I couldn't help but snicker at the reporter. I felt someone sit down next to me and heard, "Watcha watchin'?"

I turned to see Alysson sitting next to me. "Gym Leaders Around the World!" I said, faking enthusiasm. "I was hoping they'd have one of the Kenewyore Gym Leaders, but..."

As if to answer me, the reporter said, "Stay tuned! After the brake, we'll bring you Trent, of the Dreamrir Gym in Kenewyore!"

The TV went to commercial. After a moment of silence, Alysson said, "Wow. Can you do that when I'm looking for recipes on the cooking network?"

We both laughed as a familiar black-haired guy sat down beside me. "Sup?" Bane greeted us, three drinks in his arms.

"Wow, you must be thirsty," I joked.

"Har-dee-har-har," Bane mocked. "Actually, these are for you guys," he told us, passing them over.

I took a drink and sighed contently. "The drink of champions," I said as I enjoyed my Diet Coke.

Alysson and Bane drank as well. "So, what are we watching?" Bane asked after a particularly long slurp.

"Gym Leaders Around the World!" I said, once again faking enthusiasm.

"Yeah-hoo!" Bane cheered, playing along. In his normal voice, he continued, "And why are we watching this?"

"Because they're going to show one of your future competitors!" Alysson chimed in.

Bane seemed content, for he leaned back and slurped from his chalice. The show came back on after a couple of minutes.

"And, we're back!" Jeff said, looking to the right for some reason. "Now we bring you live, to A-" he stopped, seeming to be listening to something, and turned to look into the camera. "Anna, at the Dreamrir Gym," he finished. "Take it away! ...Is there something in my teeth, Bob?" he asked a cameraman, unaware that the feed had not cut over. Bob whispered to him and he glanced back at the camera, faking a grin. "Anna, take it away! ...Please."

Another second and it cut to Anna, the reporter, outside a large, dark-looking building. She chuckled lightly. "Thanks, Jeff. I bring you, live, to the Dreamrir Gym, home of Trent, the Dreamrir Gym Leader!" she exclaimed, walking up to the door of the building.

Anna knocked and the door of the Gym opened a crack, a pair of eyes just barely visible. "State your business," said a gruff, almost growling voice.

The reporter took a step back. "Umm. I-I'm Anna. I'm from 'Gym Leaders Around the World!'," she said, gesturing to the camera. "We called yesterday," she further explained.

The figure closed the door. Anna looked to the camera, confused. It looked like she was about to say something, but just then the door opened. "We don't normally allow non-challengers in, but we will make an exception, this time," he said, opening the door fully.

The reporter walked in, followed closely by the camera. The building was almost completely shrouded in darkness, except for the far end, where there was a person sitting on a throne. "Welcome!" he announced. "To my Gym!"

He looked about 20, or so, and wore a black, punk rock T-shirt and black jeans. His feet were adorned with black and gray hi-tops, and he had a couple of studded bracelets (sorry, not sure of the proper name) and chains from each side's front pocket to the back. Oh, and he had a cape. A CAPE! It was black, and looked like it had a fur epaulet (matching black, of course) with two spikes coming from each shoulder, pointing back. He currently sat slumped back in his throne.

"Hello, Mr... Trent," Anna greeted after looking at a note card.

"If I may," Trent said, getting up and walking over to the reporter, "I would like to point something out." The reporter shrugged, so he went on. "My name is pronounced 'Trent', but it is spelled 'T-R-E-A-N-T'... Just wanted to point that out," _Treant_ finished

Anna nodded slowly. "Ooookay, then. Now, can you answer a few questions?"

"Well, I can, but I don't really want to," Treant said, lazily crossing his arms.

Anna seemed agitated, but kept her composure. "Well then, _will_ you answer a few questions?" she rephrased.

Treant looked back at her. "But, of course. You did take the time to come out here and see me, after all," he said with a tone of regality.

Anna took a deep breath. "...Well, as the Gym Leader of Dreamrir's Gym, you must not get too many challengers lately, right?" she asked.

Treant took on a heartbroken appearance. "Yes. It is a shame that those nasty rumors have staved off most travelers. I hardly ever get a challenger anymore," he said, wiping away a fake tear.

Anna just stared at him disbelievingly. "...So what Pokemon do you have?"

Treant's facade faded instantly, as he raised an eyebrow at her. "Why should I tell you?" he asked indignantly.

Anna's right eye twitched. "Every Gym Leader we interview shows us at least one Pokemon. Even the Elite Four of Kanto showed us one of each of theirs!"

Treant waved dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, I saw that episode. Agatha showed you Gengar, Lorelei showed you Lapras, Bruno showed you Onix; they all showed you ones that everyone already knew about." he argued.

Anna sighed. "Surely enough people have battled you that one of your Pokemon isn't a secret," she said.

Treant thought for a moment, then smiled and took a pokeball from under his epaulette. "This one," he said simply, releasing the Pokemon within.

The released Pokemon was a Nuzleaf. "Nuz-Nuzleaf?" it said in a question-like tone to Treant.

Said Gym Leader shook his head. "No. No battle right now," he told it.

The Nuzleaf sat down, content and cross-legged, then closed its eyes. Anna eyed it for a moment. "...Very interesting. Do you understand all of your Pokemon?"

Treant gave her a look of utter bewilderment. After a moment, he spoke; "All trainers, Gym Leaders and Novices alike, can understand their Pokemon to some degree," he explained. "I don't see how you can call yourself a Pokemon reporter, not knowing that. Seriously."

Anna looked taken aback, but more so embarrassed. "I see," she replied after a few seconds.

Treant returned his Nuzleaf. "That will be all for this interview," he said, waving them away. "You may go now."

Anna looked back to the camera. "Well, there he is, folks. Treant!" she said as the figure from before ushered them out. "Thank you for watching, and stay tuned for the Hoenn Elite, up next!"

The show changed to commercial, and we started our discussion. And by 'we', I mean Bane. "Alright, next Gym is Dreamrir!" he announced.

Alysson raised an eyebrow. "Dreamrir? As if," she said, crossing her arms. "If you ever bothered to look at a map, you'd know that by the time we got there we could've been to two other Gyms."

Bane looked at her. "Really? Two?" Alysson nodded. "Alright then, which one's first?" he asked in his impatient ways.

Alysson took out her book and flipped to the back, which covered both pages in a map of Kenewyore (which I will try to upload, once I have a name for every city and finish the design... So, basically, once I make it). "Okay, we're here." She gestured to Prishine. "Dreamrir's way over here." More gesturing. "So, that makes this-" gesture, "-the closest."

Bane and I looked at where she was pointing. Indeed, she was pointing at a spot on the map that looked very close to Prishine, labeled "Gnawton".

"Gnawton," I read aloud. "Sounds like an interesting place."

Alysson nodded. "Their Gym Leader certainly is. She uses-"

"Wait, wait!" Bane interrupted, holding his hand up for silence. "Don't tell me... She uses Dragon-types, doesn't she?"

Alysson blinked a couple of times, a look of subtle astonishment on her face. "Actually...yes. How did you-"

"Hold on a minute!" he interrupted, again. "And her name is...Serena," he added.

Alysson raised her eyebrow at this. "Yes. How do you-"

"And! And!" Bane interrupted, yet again. "She's about our age, blonde, a little taller than me, used to live on Solatropia Island, next door to me, and her favorite food is strawberries."

Alysson looked at Bane blankly. "I take it you two know each other?" she asked dully.

Bane nodded. "Yeah, we used to play together when we were kids, till she moved away." he explained, laughing a bit. "One time, we threw a water balloon on the door of every house on the island. It was pretty funny, till we threw it at the mayor's wife... Then it was hilarious!" He started laughing at the memory.

I couldn't help but chuckle at his story. Afterward, we headed out, getting ready to leave for Gnawton. Once outside, Bane took a deep breath in and suddenly shouted, "Onward, my lackeys!" leading the march onto Route 11. Alysson and I exchanged a glance and followed.

***yawn!* Man am I tired.**

**Bane: What's up?**

**Not much. I just GRADUATED!**

**Bane: Really? *plays a fanfare as balloons fall from the sky***

**Thank you, thank you. Oh! I'm also gonna be ready to upload the first chapter in a new Kingdom Hearts story I've been working on soon. Hopefully I'll have more time for my stories now that high school's done.**

**Bane: But you're going to college in the fall, right?**

…**Yup… I'm never gonna get these stories done, am I?**

**Bane: You'll get there, buddy. You'll get there.**

**Thanks. Well, we should get to bed.**

**Bane: I've kind of taken on a personality of my own, haven't I?**

**NO FOURTH WAL-… Actually that's a bit farther than fourth wall… O.O You're breaking the fifth wall…**

**Bane: …Won't' that destroy the universe?**

**Nah, just glue it back together afterward. Sure there might be dinosaurs in New Guiney for a bit, and maybe a cat will rule western Asia, but it'll be fine eventually.**

**Bane: …You have a strange and twisted mind, Halestorming.**

**And it gave birth to you. What does that tell you?**

**Bane: …I'm awesome. B)**

…**Oh, brother.**


	31. Pokefile: Gerbirfur!

_Uploaded May 22__nd__, 2012_

**Now foooooooorrr GERBIRFUR!**

Gerbirfur - the Gerbil-Bird Pokemon

A basic Pokemon; it has no known evolutions.

Normal/Flying dual-type

A small half-gerbil, half-bird Pokemon.

Height: 6"

Length: 10"

Weight: 12 lb.

Description: A small half-red, half-blue, half-gerbil, half-bird pokemon with wings. The left half of the body is blue, and the right is red. On the contrary, the wings are alternate colors to the side of the body they are on. It has a small, yellow beak, sun yellow eyes, and a fluffy, lime green rabbit tail. Although small, it has a strong, fighting spirit to it, and will never turn down a challenge.

Their known habitats are mostly grassy plains and fields. It grazes on grass, which its stomach digests well.

Normal color: Blue-and-Red body, Red-and-Blue wings, Yellow Beak, Lime Green tail, Sun Yellow eyes.

Shiny color: UNKNOWN

**Sorry it took so long. I was pretty busy (and Gerbirfur is my sister's pokemon).**

**Bane: Really? What does that matter?**

***shrugs* It just took a while for me to get all of the information about Gerbirfur from her.**

**Bane: …Am I getting a new pokemon soon?**

**PATIENCE, MY OC…PATIENCE…**

**Bane: …Your CAPS Lock is stuck, isn't it?**

…**MAYBE… **

**Bane: …Whatever. Enjoy the file, people.**


	32. Chapter 26: A Yoda, A Brat, and Pokemon!

…**Hi. I've decided that, in order to come up with more zany, loveable, odd, etc… characters, I'm going to show some of the trainer battles that occur along the various Routes! Yippee!**

**Bane: …Do I fight any?**

**Only if you're good.**

**Bane: Dang it!**

…**Please read…**

Bane, Alysson, and I were travelling through Route 11with Karryash, Porygon, and Normlos out, when we came upon a boy that looked about twelve. He was wearing a red shirt, blue shorts and flip-flops. He had short, blonde, spiky hair and green eyes. Upon spotting us he shouted, "You!"

We each looked around. Nope, no one else around; he was talking to us. "You shall be my opponent!"

Bane tilted his head. "Me?" he asked curiously.

The boy shook his head. "No! The one with a bird on his noggin!"

I raised an eyebrow, my Karryash mimicking me. "In a pokemon battle?" I asked.

He nodded vigorously. "Yes! I have just obtained a new pokemon on this route, and I need to train it! You shall help me!" he declared. Has anyone else noticed that he likes exclamation points?

I shrugged. "Sure. I could use the training," I responded, Karryash hopping down from my head.

The trainer pumped his fist. "Excellent! A two-on-two match, it will be!"

"Who is this guy, Yoda?" Bane asked Alysson in a whisper. Alysson quietly giggled, but the boy paid her no attention.

"I shall open!" he declared, pulling a pokeball from his belt. "Out you come, Quilava!" He threw the pokeball and a pokemon that was shaped similarly to Poisonpin came out. The main differences were a lack of quills, longer body, deep green back and head and light tan underbelly, and fire mohawk with matching tailhawk. Oh, and no round nose.

I nodded. "Karryash, you wanna go?" I asked my beloved fire-chick. It hopped up and down, cheeping up a storm. I laughed and said, "Okay, okay, go already." Karryash went to meet Quilava in the battlefield.

The other boy opened. "Quilava, smokescreen!" Smoke poured out of the pokemon's mouth, covering the arena from sight, along with our pokemon.

"Karryash, try to blow the smoke away with your wings!" I shouted. Karryash did try to, I think, but I suddenly heard a "Karr!" and Karryash tumbled out of the smoke cloud, Quilava following a moment later.

"Now, Quilava, ember!" Embers flew out of its mouth.

"Dodge and ember back!" I retaliated. Karryash dodged the fires and hit Quilava with its own heated embers. Granted, they're both fire-types, so it won't do much, but still, it did hit him…or her. I'm not sure.

"Come on boy! Give it your all!" Well, that solved that. Quilava staggered up; apparently it's not used to fighting if all it takes is one ember to send him to red health (anyone who plays the video game will know what I'm talking about). "Try your fire spin!" It curled into a ball and became aflame, rushing toward Karryash.

"Karryash, fly over it!"

"Bounce up to meet it!"

The end result was Karryash jumping and being hit by Quilava who also jumped, followed by Quilava not stopping his roll and rolling into a stump. They were both KOed.

"…"

"…"

"…Both pokemon are unable to battle…" Alysson said, also surprised by this turn of events. "Please send out your other pokemon."

"…Oh-ho! Defeat you with my new pokemon, I will!" the boy shouted, suddenly reenergized. He pulled an odd pokeball with a blue top, instead of red, and a net-like grid over the top half as well. "Go, my new friend; Carvanha!"

The pokemon released by this pokeball was a small fish. It was blue on the top and red on the bottom, with yellow, sharp-looking fins on the top, bottom and both sides. It had a big mouth, and a bigger-looking attitude. The boy released it into a small pond nearby.

_Well, at least Shellder will have an equal water-terrain advantage,_ I thought. I returned Karryash and got out Shellder's pokeball. "Shellder, your turn!" I said, releasing my shellfish to the same pond.

"Oh-ho-HO!" the boy shouted upon seeing my choice. "So, it is a same-type match, is it? Very well! Crush you, we will! Carvanha, bite the sushi!"

Carvanha rushed toward Shellder, mouth agape. "Shellder, withdraw!" I directed. Shellder shut its shell tight and Carvanha attempted to gnaw through. "Now, twinneedle!" Shellder's spikes glowed and shot up, damaging Carvanha harshly.

"Vahhhn!" the fish roared, thrashing about. "Car-car-VANHHAA!" it roared, tackling Shellder and tossing him through the water.

"Carvanha! No attacking unless I tell you a move!" the boy chided.

Carvanha turned to its trainer. "Car-car Va-na-na!" it said angrily.

The boy fumed. "You do not badmouth your trainer, you fishy, fart-tailed excuse for a pokemon!"

Bane, Alysson and I watched this go on for a few minutes before the boy recalled his pokemon. "Sorry!" the boy shouted for a continually unknown reason. "I guess I gotta train my Carvanha more! Bye!" he shouted, running toward Prishine.

We lingered for a moment, then Bane said, "Well, we should go." We left.

A little ways down, we saw a girl about our age and a Glameow battling a wild Eevee. The girl wore a blue tunic and long, blue skirt. Her feet had socks and matching flip-flops on, and she had long, straight, red hair that touched her hips.

"Glam, scratch!" the girl commanded. The cat pokemon leaped at the foxlike pokemon, claws extended. The Eevee dodged nimbly and tackled the Glameow, KOing it.

"Vee!" the little Eevee barked; a warning bark by the sound of it. "Eevee!"

The girl returned her Glameow and stomped on the ground. "No! I won't lose! No! No! No!"

We decided to just observe the girl for now. She pulled out another pokeball; a Great Ball. "Go, Dara!" she called, tossing the pokeball to the ground.

Out popped a little, round Darumaka. It danced for a moment, chanting "Da-da-Darumaka! Da-da-Darumaka!"

"Stop dancing!" the girl ordered. "Daddy said that once I catch and train six pokemon I can go challenge a Gym! Now, go!" The Darumaka followed her orders, heading toward the Eevee.

Eevee stopped it before it could even touch him with a shadow ball, instantly knocking out the poor dancing fire-type. "NO! NO! NO!" the girl shouted. I will catch you!" She then produced another pokeball.

That's when Bane decided to step in. "YO!" he shouted, scaring the girl and Eevee. "Hi, I'm Bane," he greeted like nothing had happened, walking over to the girl. "What's up?"

The girl scowled at him. "If you were wanting to catch this Eevee, then go away! It's mine, you got that! Mine!"

Bane looked to where the Eevee was. "What Eevee?" he asked naively, barely hiding a hint of sarcasm.

The girl looked over and the Eevee was gone. "What? No! I was so close! So close!" the girl sobbed, falling to her knees.

Alysson and I walked over. "Umm, Bane?" I asked him. He nodded. "Was that…"

"Intentional? Yep," He answered. "She was putting the poor thing through a gauntlet. Not very fair, in my opinion."

The girl got up, enraged. "You! You owe me a pokemon!" she demanded.

Bane shrugged. "Why? You already have plenty, by the looks of it. And besides that, why would _I_ owe you anything?" he asked.

The brat stomped again. "Because my daddy helped you catch your pokemon, so you should help me!"

Ban looked very confused. "Say what?" he asked.

"Did you use a pokeball to catch your pokemon?" she asked haughtily. Bane nodded and she crossed her arms. "Well, my daddy owns the company that makes pokeballs!" she announced.

Alysson gasped. "No way! Your father's Dimon Keepon?"

The girl smirked triumphantly. "Yup, and I'm Pampina Keepon. So," she looked back at Bane. "You owe me a pokemon!"

Bane groaned. "Look, I don't owe you a heap of potato seeds. So, bye." With that, he started walking off.

"No!" Pampina shouted, stomping her feet again. "My daddy said if I catch six pokemon, I can challenge a Gym. I have five, so you need to catch me one more!"

Bane groaned even louder. "Does this girl have an off button?"

The brat fumed. "Fine! How about a match? If you win, you can leave, and I won't bug you anymore. But if I win, you have to catch me a pokemon! Deal?" she offered.

Bane smirked. "One-on-one sound good? We don't want it to be drug out now, do we?"

The girl agreed and they began. "You'll regret challenging me! Go, Nom-Nom!" She tossed her pokeball and a big, honkin' Snorlax came out!

"What the sumo is that!" Bane shouted.

Alysson opened her know-all book and answered: "Snorlax, the Sleeping pokemon. Its stomach can digest any kind of food, even if it happens to be moldy or rotten. It stops eating only to sleep. It doesn't feel full unless it eats nearly 900 pounds a day."

Bane nodded to her. "Thank you. That information was invaluable." Alysson replied with a glare. "Porygon, think you can take him?"

"Pory-GON," the polygonal pokemon replied with a nod.

Bane smirked. "Okay, flash cannon!" Porygon fired a flash cannon at the giant, but all it did was disappear on contact with its belly.

The girl laughed a nasally, very, very, _**annoying**_ laugh that etched itself into our memory for all eternity. "Nom-Nom can take any hit you throw at it! Nomsy, slam!" Snorlax rushed forward, intent on flattening poor-poor-Porygon.

"Porygon, flee! FLEE FOR YOUR LIFE!" Bane shouted, waving his arms for emphasis. Porygon dodged with ease, leaving Snorlax on its belly, waddling like a flipped turtle.

We all observed this for a short minute before the girl recalled Snorlax, then immediately re-released it, now standing upright. "Hey, no fair!" Bane shouted.

The girl waved his comment off. "Please. All I did was return and release my pokemon."

"AHA!" Bane shouted theatrically. "Official Pokemon League Rule #7-D Sub-section Waffle, Paragraph R: 'Whenever a pokemon is returned by its trainer, purposefully, in a one-on-one match, the trainer forfeits the match to their opponent', so HAH!"

We all stared in shock at Bane's knowledge. "What? Alysson's not the only smart one," he said. Then he turned to Pampina. "You lose. Buh-bye."

Bane turned to leave and we followed. However… "NO! I want a new pokemon! And I want it now!"

Bane ignored her, so we followed suit. "Come back here! Don't ignore me! I AM PAMPINA KEEPON!"

Eventually her ranting faded away in the woods. After a while we came upon some wild pokemon. "Hey, wanna train?" Bane asked us. I agreed, but Alysson didn't really see it the same way.

"No," she replied. "They aren't doing anything to us. Why bother them?" she argued.

I sighed. "Yes, but we can't train without battling. And if the last two trainers we fought were any indication, then we're not gonna get any practice outta them," I explained.

Alysson sighed. "Well, you guys can, but me, Normlos, and Llama will be over here, being sensible." With that she left us.

**Bane and I called out Anorith and Shellder for the fight. But, I think they can tell you how it went.**

Shellder and Anorith stood ready. "Let's show those waffle-stompers a good lickin'!" Anorith exclaimed.

Shellder looked at Anorith with astonishment. "I had no idea any pokemon could be so… weird. No, you know what, weird isn't good enough for you. You need your own, personal adjective. How about… Anory?"

Anorith thought about this for a moment. "…Okee-dokee! Now let's git 'em!" Anorith flopped to the enemies: a Misdreavus and a Baa; a small, round, fluffy sheep-like pokemon with two stubby, pointed horns, two stubby hooves, two tiny, round hands, and two round ears on either side of its head.

The Baa opened with an attempt at tackling Shellder. "Shellder, withdraw!" Storm ordered. Shellder shut its shell, easily blocking the attack. "Now, water gun!" Shellder complied with a jet of water shot out of the small gap left in his shell, from the withdraw attack.

"How ya' like that!" Shellder shouted at its foe. The Baa replied with a look of anger and a take down attack. "Oh, shoot." Shellder was sent tumbling back.

"SHELLY! NOOOO!" Anorith shouted overdramatically. He then turned to the Baa. "You shall pay, vile creature!"

"Anorith, metal claw on Misdreavus!" Bane ordered.

Anorith turned cheerfully to Bane. "Okay, boss-man!" Then he flopped toward Misdreavus, claw raised and beginning to glow.

The Misdreavus faded out of sight and Anorith slashed air. The Misdreavus reappeared, laughing. "Hahahahahahha! Quite the spectacle, wouldn't you say, Baa dear?"

The Baa shook its head. "Mehhh. The Shellder's a bit of a jerk," he replied.

Meanwhile Storm and Bane had been whispering. They nodded to each other and turned back to the battle. "Anorith, harden!" Bane ordered first.

"Shellder, use water gun on Anorith!" Storm followed.

And their pokemon did just that, Shellder spraying the now-hardened Anorith and knocking Baa right into a tree, KOed. Anorith cheered. "Boo-yah!" Anorith did the worm for a minute, unaware of the looks of astonishment around him.

Misdreavus shook her head (actually, when you think about it, her head makes up her entire body). "Quite pathetic," she said condescendingly.

Shellder's water gun shut her up and KOed her. "HAH!" Shellder shouted. Now who's the pathetic one? Huh, chicky?"

Anorith cocked is head to one side. "Chicky? I thought she was a ghost, not a chicken… Or _is_ she?" Anorith wondered with wide eyes.

"…You need help," Shellder stated, attempting to inch away from the bug. Shellder and Anorith were returned and Storm and co. continued on their way down the route, toward Gnawton.

***yawn!* Man, has it been a long day. Anyways, I thought you guys might like another chapter, so I'm posting it.**

**Bane: I knew it!**

…**Knew what?**

**Bane: That you were posting a chapter.**

…**I wish to apologize for a fault on my part. In the last chapter I said that Serena was blonde, but she actually has black hair. I've fixed it now.**

**Bane: Good. Now, **_**I**_** wanna say something.**

**Oh, here we go…**

**Bane: FIRST! I want a new pokemon! SECOND! That girl was a brat. THIRD! Do you have any extra ketchup? AND FOURTH! When are we gonna get to Gnawton?**

…**Soon. Yes. No. Soon. There.**

**Bane: …Okay, I'm good.**

**Thank you. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and GOODNIGHT, EVERYBODY!**


	33. Pokefile: Baa

_Uploaded May 26__th__, 2012_

**BAA! …Here he is.**

Baa - the Tiny Horn Pokemon

A basic Pokemon. Evolves into Baaram when leveling up past level 22 at night.

Normal-type

A small sheep Pokemon.

Height: 1ft. 4in.

Weight: 7lb.

Description: A little ball of fluff in that most of its body is composed of a feather-light wool that encompasses all its body except its hooves, arms and head. Its head has big, round eyes and pointed horn stubs no bigger than 2in. Its 2 hooves are small and cloven and its 2 hands are small and rounded, with no fingers. Its mouth is the shape of a 3 with the ends pointing up, and its ears are on opposite sides of its head, and small and round.

Habitats are mountainous and sometimes wooded areas.

Normal color: Cream wool, Grey horns

Shiny color: White wool, Pale Green horns

**Well, there you have it, another new Pokemon of Kenewyore!**

**Bane: How many do you have?**

…**About 20 or so, by now…**

**Bane: …Mehh.**

**Oh, don't you start!**


	34. Chapter 27: New Vegetarians?

_Uploaded June 2__nd__, 2012_

**Here's Chapter 27!**

**Bane: Wow, that many already?**

**I know, it seems like only yesterday I started, and now we're up to the city of the third Gym Leader… Ya'know that really isn't very far in, is it?**

**Bane: No. No it's not.**

We arrived in Gnawton just before 6:00. It was a quiet city, with a few semi-tall buildings that went up to about 15 stories at most, but mostly filled with modern-looking houses. Upon arrival, however, we knew this trip was going to be more than we had bargained for.

"Hey! Give it back! It's mine!" we heard someone shout from within the city.

"Paws off brat! It's mine now!" we heard another voice reply viciously. We then heard a rattle like a garbage can being knocked over and some footsteps running near to us.

From around the corner of a building we saw a man run out. He stopped when he saw us. "Move!" he demanded. The man had on a chain mail tunic over a pair of black, leather leggings, and black leather boots. And as if that wasn't enough, he had on a belt with a large upside-down raindrop with the numbers "6370" on it. In his arms he held an egg, which, oddly enough, also had the numbers "6370" on it, in a crack-like lettering.

"And what if we don't?" Bane asked, stepping closer to the man.

The man took a step back and started to run, but found that a small boy was blocking his path. "Hey! Give me back the egg I found!"

The man backed away from the boy, closer to us. Bane quietly stepped up behind him and shouted, "HEY!" forcing the man to throw the egg into the air and jump. Bane caught the egg with relative ease. "Thanks," Bane said happily, walking over to the boy and handing him the egg.

"Thanks, mister!" the boy said happily, hugging Bane.

Bane looked embarrassed. "Uhh, no problem. Now, run along. Go on. You can go now," Bane said, trying to pry the kid's hands from around his torso.

"Hey!" the man shouted angrily. "That egg belongs to me!"

Bane looked hard at the egg and the boy ran off. "Really? 'Cuz unless your name's 6370, then I don't see your name on it," he joked.

The man got really angry now. "How dare you! I am a member of the New Varangians!" he shouted, showing off a large, emerald green signet ring with the letters "NV" on it. "And I demand you go get my egg!"

"The New Vegetarians? What's that?" Bane asked jocularly. Yep, it's a word.

The man was fuming now. "I'll teach you some manners, child!" He pulled out a pokeball with an emerald green top and the letters NV in purple lettering. "Go, Bonebrain!"

Out of the pokeball came a skeletal bird with a rounded jaw and curved bony wings. It had three toes on each foot and a small row of teeth in its open beak, which was grey with black speckles, and almost granite-like. It was about as tall as a fire hydrant. "If you won't get me that egg, I'll go get it myself!" Bane blocked his path. "Bonebrain, bite!"

The bird rushed toward Bane, but he jumped out of the way, just barely. Karryash tackled the bird. "Hey, that's just not right!" Bane shouted, Porygon floating before him defensively.

The man chuckled. "Yeah, like I care," he replied. "Bonebrain, use night shade!" The skeletal eyesore made a shadow appear on the ground and out of it rose a black mass. Suddenly the mass turned into a much larger Bonebrain, which slashed through Karryash and Porygon.

"Porygon!" "Karryash!" Bane and I shouted. The man laughed, angering us further.

"Karryash, ember!"

"Porygon, flash cannon!"

Both attacks hit their mark, KOing the rocky bird. "Bonebrain!" the man exclaimed, returning it. "I'll be back!" he shouted, running away. "You've not seen the last of me! Remember the name, Donny Dumplin!"

"…Donny Dumplin?" Bane asked after a moment. We chuckled and went to the Pokemon Center.

Once at the center, we saw a familiar face. "Hey, is that-" But before she could finish, I hid behind a nearby potted plant. Having déjà vu yet? You should be.

"Thank you milady," Sir George Laurel thanked the Nurse Joy at the counter. The Nurse smiled back. To his right was Sir Roderick Dorfin, who looked to be scoping the area out. Upon seeing Bane his eyes widened, then glared.

Roderick walked over to us (well, Bane and Alysson; I was still hiding behind the plant). "You again," Roderick said, with his usual sneer.

Bane nodded politely. "'Ello, guvnor," he greeted with a British accent. "Fancy a spot of tea?"

Roderick's glare intensified. "What are you doing here?" he asked icily.

Bane shrugged. "I'm here to see an old friend. How about you?" he countered. "Doesn't a high-and-mighty 'advisor to the king' have better things to do than run around going to Pokemon Centers?"

Roderick was about to say something, but then George walked over. "Hello again," he greeted. "How have you all been?"

Roderick looked at George. "You've met them?" he asked.

George nodded. "Yes. I saw their friend's battle with the Gym Leader of Ironhill," he explained. He looked around the center. "By the way, where is your friend?"

Alysson shrugged. "He's… around," she answered.

George nodded. "Well, I would have liked to have seen him, but perhaps another day." I did want to talk to him some, especially after the last time we met. But Roderick seeing me was too big of a risk.

Roderick sent Bane another glare and left, calling to George to do the same. "One moment, Roderick," George called after him. George took Alysson's hand and lightly kissed it. "Farewell, all," he said as he left.

I came out of hiding once I was sure they were gone. Bane chuckled. "George and Alysson, sitting in a tree, K-I-" And that's when Alysson socked him.

"It wasn't _anything_ like that," Alysson explained. "He was just being a gentleman, that's all."

Bane got up, smirking. "Mmm-hmm. Sure it was," he said, chuckling a little. We went to the counter and got our rooms for that night.

"So, should we head for the Gym?" I asked afterward.

Bane grinned. "An excellent suggestion, my compadre. I shall challenge her first, of course."

I raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? You challenged Gulka first, so I wanna challenge Serena first," I argued.

"As if!" Alysson cut in. "I haven't been the first to battle a single Gym Leader yet, so it should be me!" she proclaimed.

Bane and I turned to her, somewhat surprised. "Wait, you're taking on the Gym Leaders?" Bane asked.

She nodded, looking offended. "And what's so surprising about that?" she asked haughtily.

"Nothing," I replied. "You just never mentioned anything before now and… well…"

Alysson shrugged. "True, but I had a lot of fun battling Gulka, so I figured I'd try battling the others, while I'm at it. Can't have you guys hogging all the glory now, can I?" she added with a smile.

I smiled back. "Good enough for me," I replied. "But we should probably find the Gym first."

Alysson pulled out her infinitely wise book and flipped to a bookmarked page. "I have detailed maps of each town," she explained. "And the Gym is… Here!" she exclaimed, pointing just to our right. We saw a large building painted in many stylish colors, with the word 'Gym' in big letters on the front.

"…How did we miss that?" Bane asked. We went to the door, but were greeted with something unexpected. "CLOSED!" Bane shouted upon reading the sign on the door. "How can it be closed? It's only… Storm! What time is it?"

I gave him a surprised look. "Seriously? It's almost seven," I replied. "See, it says right there, 'open from 9am to 6pm'," I read off of a sign next to the door.

Bane grumbled. "How about we get something to eat?" Alysson suggested.

We agreed, having used up plenty of energy that day, and went to the center café. We arrived and Alysson ordered for us while we put away our things. When we got back, Alysson was talking to a young girl sitting at a table next to her. She wore a purple striped tank top, slim-fitting jeans and high-heeled sandals. Her hair was long and black, and looked almost silky. She had some exotic features in her face and gave a laugh that could only really be described as…cute.

We walked over to the table and, as I was about to greet her, she gasped, getting up from her seat. "Bane?" she asked our companion.

"Rena!" he greeted her. They went over to each other and hugged for a moment. After letting go, Bane asked, "Man! How long has it been, four years?"

"Four-and-a-half," she corrected. "But who's counting?"

They laughed for a minute then Bane said, "Hey, you wanna sit with us?"

"Yeah, I'd love to," 'Rena' said. She took an empty seat between Alysson and Bane, putting me opposite her. "So, who are your friends?" she asked him.

"Who? Oh, right," Bane replied sheepishly. I don't doubt he forgot we were even there. "This is Storm," he gestured to me. "And this is Alysson," he gestured to her. "Storm, Alysson," he addressed us, "This is Serena Dragonhide, my long-time best friend, Gym Leader of Gnawton's Dragon-type Gym, and excellent water balloon thrower, if memory serves correctly."

Serena laughed at the last comment. "Well, you were pretty good too, ya'know," she informed him.

Bane nodded. "Yeah, I guess I was pretty good, wasn't I?" Bane admitted, leaning back in his chair some. Serena laughed again.

Our food arrived, brought by a young waitress, along with Serena's. "Thanks, Jenna," Serena thanked her. She nodded with a smile and left after dishing out our meals.

We ate for a while, Bane and Serena reminiscing about everything from school assemblies to stealing the mayor's toupee. Then Serena asked "So, I suppose you're takin' the Gym Leader Challenge like you always said you would, huh Bane?"

Bane nodded. "Yeah, but I never thought I'd be facing you. You never mentioned wanting to become a Gym Leader before; I thought you wanted to become a Pokemon Coordinator, or something."

Serena shrugged and blushed slightly. "Actually, it's because of you, Bane."

Bane blinked a couple of times. "Me?" he asked.

Serena nodded. "Yeah. The way you used to talk about Gym Leaders, saying they were so cool and how you wanted to be just like them – I thought it would be great to be able to be a role model for kids just like you, you know?"

Bane smiled. "Awesome," he commented. We continued to talk about things, just chatting really, then at about nine Serena said "Oh, wow! Didn't realize it was so late." She got up from the table. "So, I guess I'll see you all tomorrow, right?"

"Yep," "Definitely," "Heck yeah!" Me, Alysson and Bane replied, respectively. Serena left and after a bit we all went to bathe and bed, getting rested for the big day.

**Behold, the New Varangians!**

**Bane: How do you come up with this stuff?**

**Research and brownies, my friend. Research and brownies.**

**Bane: …Oooookay… Oh, and hit the "Next" thingy to see Bonebrain's pokefile… *snicker* Bonebrain…**

**Shut up. Please feel free to PM me questions on m Poke's and stuff, BUT BE WARNED! I don't check too often, so it may take a while to get back to you.**


	35. Pokefile: Bonebrain! Yes thats its name

_Uploaded June 2__nd__, 2012 (also)_

**Here's Bonebrain!**

**Bane: *opens mouth to mock name***

**Don't even think about it.**

Bonebrain - the Skeletal Bird Pokemon

Basic Pokemon. Evolves into Hawkorpse when Male levels up past level 44. Evolves into Peregrim when Female levels up past level 33.

Rock/Flying dual-type

A small hollow-bone bird pokemon

Height: 2'4"

Weight: 12 lb.

Description: A small, yellow-brown, skeletal bird. Its body is comprised entirely of bones, including its wings and a few bony feathers at the top of its skull. It has a row of small teeth in its mouth and a few cracks are usually visible in its body, depending on its age and battle experience. Its jaw is rounded, and gray with black speckles, it has three-toed feet and slightly curved, bony wings. It often eats the bark of birch and oak trees, and drinks only water with extraordinarily low oxygen content; almost entirely hydrogen. Its eyes are red, far back in its sockets and, some might say, piercing.

Its habitats include dead oak trees and abandoned forests with no other inhabitants.

Normal Color: Dirty, Yellow-Brown bone body; Red eyes.

Shiny Color: Lime Green bone body; Deep Blue eyes.

**Yup, I named it Bonebrain. It's evolution's names are cooler though, right?**

**Bane: Yeah, they're OK.**

**And next time, SERENA, THE DRAGON-TYPE GYM LEADER OF GNAWTON!**

**Bane: Yahoo!**


	36. Chapter 28: A Nice Day For A Gym Battle

_Uploaded June 8th, 2012_

**Time to go to the Gym!**

**Bane: To Serena!**

On the morn, at the rise of that majestic ball of flame that rises each day, and sets each ni- Oh, who am I kidding? The next day, after doing our morning routines and putting in a little pre-Gym training, we headed out!

Bane took in a deep breath. "Ahh… What a day for a Gym battle," Bane said, leading the group to the Gym.

Alysson sighed, the wind blowing through her hair. "Days like this just don't come around often enough, do they?"

It seemed everyone was having a good feeling about today, me included. "An excellent day, indeed," I said, Karryash riding atop my head. We arrived at the Gym at just before nine.

"Alright, let's get this party started!" Bane announced, pushing open the doors to the Gym. The inside was beautiful, very different from the previous Gyms we had been to, thus far. It had fancy red carpeting, walls with paintings of dragons all over them, beautiful chandeliers lining the ceiling, and a great big arena in the middle of it all. "Now _this_ is a Gym," Bane commented as we entered.

We got to the challenger's position on the field, but still saw no sign of Serena. "Rena? Hey! We're here!" Bane shouted. "Huh, that's odd."

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she said she would be expecting us, right?"

Alysson looked closely at the door on the other side of the room (the one the Gym Leader usually comes out of). "Hey, I think the door's open," she told us.

We walked to the door and Bane nudged it, pushing it open a bit. He opened it the rest of the way and walked in, prompting us to follow. "Rena? Rena?" he called.

We heard some voices coming from another room. "Please, my lady, we do have a job, you see," one voice said in a voice reminiscent of an 80's rock star.

"And I told you you're leaving here empty-handed!" we heard Serena's voice shout.

"Hey, that's-" Bane started, but was swiftly silenced by Alysson. She motioned for us to be quiet and listen.

"Now, now, don't make me get rough with ya'," the other voice warned. We heard the familiar sound of a pokeball releasing a pokemon. "OHMYGOSH, WHAT THE HECK IS THAT THING!" the voice screamed in fear.

I chanced taking a peek inside. I saw a man with the weirdest haircut I had ever seen cowering in front of a big, orange, dragon. It was long and slender, and had big, powerful legs like a Rampardos, and short, stubby arms. Its head was shaped like a raindrop and had two flat horns that curved to make circles on either side of its head, and it had a long mouth with short, pointed teeth and two slit nostrils at the end of its maw. How did I know it had short, pointed teeth? Because it was using them to scare the Pidgey out of the weird-hair guy.

Behind the dragon stood Serena with a confident smirk. "Now, what was it you said you were going to do again?" she asked rhetorically. "Oh yeah! You said you were going to hurt my brother." Behind her I could see the kid Bane had helped yesterday, holding the egg Bane had helped him retrieve protectively.

"OH, PLEASE! HAVE MERCY!" the weirdo shouted, trying to back away from the dragon. This is a difficult task when one is flat against a wall.

"Hmm, no… Maybe you said 'I was just passing through town, and I'll never, ever come back here again. And I would never, ever hurt your brother.' Is that what you said?" she asked the man.

The dragon roared. "AHH! YES! YES! ANYTHING! JUST PLEASE DON'T LET IT EAT ME! MERCY PLEASE!" the man screamed. He glanced at me for a moment and said "Wh-who are you?"

Serena turned and saw me. "Oh, hey Storm," she greeted casually. "Are Bane and Alysson with you?" I nodded silently. "Come on in." We all walked in, Bane and Alysson now getting a good look at the situation, and the seven-and-a-half-foot dragon.

"Holy Totodile! What is that thing!" Bane shouted.

Serena giggled. The dragon turned its head in our direction slightly and growled. We all flinched, but Serena calmed it. "No. They're friends," she told it. It regarded us another moment, then turned back to the cowering man. "Now, what did you come here for?" she asked him.

"I'M JUST PASSING THROUGH AND I'LL NEVER, EVER COME BACK HERE AGAIN!" the man shouted, beginning to cry.

Serena nodded. "Good boy," she said, then her expression turned serious. "Now go."

The man scrambled to his feet and ran out the door we came through and out of the Gym. Alysson's eyes widened. "Hey! That guy had the same ring as that guy we met yesterday!" she said. "You know, the green one."

_A ring? Huh, I must've missed it,_ I thought to myself. I turned back to Serena to see a big, orange, toothy face about two inches from my nose. I let out one of the most embarrassing screams I've ever shouted in my life and fell backwards onto Bane, who fell with me.

"Ow," Bane groaned. "Can you get off of me?"

"When I'm ready," I breathed back, catching my breath. Bane however, is not a very patient person, contrary to popular belief **(who's?)** and pushed me off of him, then got up and dusted himself off.

Alysson helped me up and Serena walked closer to us. "Hi, guys," she greeted. "Are you ready for our battle?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Bane shouted. "First of all, why was that guy… Okay, first of all, who was that guy? Second, why was he here? Third, where'd you get the awesome dragon? And fourth, do you have anything to eat?"

Serena thought for a moment, and then answered. "First, I don't know. Second, he was trying to take the egg my little brother found." She gestured to the boy we met yesterday. "Third, I can't tell you. And fourth, yes, I have a snack pantry right over there." At her last answer she pointed to a cabinet on the wall.

Bane walked over to the cabinet and got out a soda and a candy bar. When Bane closed it and turned around, the dragon was standing as close to him as it had been to me. However, instead of screaming like an idiot and falling over, he put the can on its tooth and pulled, opening the can. He then walked over to us, taking a drink.

The dragon stood in silent shock for a moment, then glared at Bane, growling slightly. "Down, boy," Serena ordered. "No hurting my friends." The dragon lifted one hand, putting two fingers closer than the other. "No, not even a little bit," Serena replied. "But he will be one of our challengers." The dragon smiled viciously, turning to Bane.

Bane coughed out his candy bar. "WHAT!" he shouted almost as loudly as the weird-haired man. "WE HAVE TO FIGHT THAT!"

"Him," Serena corrected. "You have to fight him." Bane's jaw hung open, even as Serena returned the dragon to its pokeball, which was, oddly enough, a regular, red-and-white pokeball.

We walked back to the arena, Serena leading, then Bane started a conversation. "So, do you guys have any idea how to beat a dragon-type?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, Shellder has some ice-type attacks, so I'm all set… Good luck to you, though."

"Thanks a lot," Bane grumbled.

We arrived at the arena and Serena took her spot. "So, which one of you are going to battle me first?" she asked.

Bane and I turned to each other, then to Alysson, then smiled. "Well, Alysson, you _did _say that it was unfair that you hadn't battled a Gym Leader first, yet," I said.

"So, here's your chance!" Bane finished. "She's all yours!" he said, pushing her forward.

Alysson ran behind Bane and pushed him forward. "Oh, no! I insist, you should go first."

"No," Bane argued, running behind Alysson and pushing her. "You go!"

"No!" Alysson shouted, pushing Bane. "You go!"

This continued for a few minutes, until I got aggravated. "I'll go first!" I shouted, taking my position.

Bane put his hands on his hips, genuinely surprised. "Well, I'll be an Aipom's uncle," he said. "It worked."

Alysson nudged him. "Told ya it would."

I made a mental note to get back at them for that, then prepared myself. "So, you ready?" she asked. I gave a quick nod. "Good. How many pokemon you got?"

"I got two," I replied. "That enough for ya'?"

She nodded back. "Fine by me. A two-on-two single battle?" I nodded again. "Alright, ready?"

I was surprised a little. "Umm, what about the referee?" I asked.

She shrugged. "We're both smart enough to tell when our pokemon have had enough, right?"

I shrugged. "Duh."

She nodded. "Alrighty, then. Ready?"

"Get on with it!" Bane shouted from the sidelines.

Serena giggled then opened her mouth, but before she could say anything… "Sis!" We saw her brother run in, holding his egg. "Sis! Sis! My egg's getting really cold!" he shouted in a panic.

Serena's eyes widened. "What? What do you mean it's getting cold?" she asked, kneeling down and touching the partly-yellow egg. Her hand recoiled almost instantly. "Woah! It's freezing!" she almost yelled.

Her brother looked up at her. "Why is it cold?" he asked her. "Is that bad?"

She nodded slowly. "Kind of. It could be bad," she explained. "If an egg gets too cold for too long it… won't hatch."

He was almost crying. "Wha-what if it doesn't get warm again?" he asked.

She pulled him close and hugged him. "It's okay, Jack," she told him. She turned to us. "Do any of you know how to take care of an egg?"

I ran over. "Yeah, I hatched Karryash from an egg," I explained. Said fire chick was currently examining the egg. "Do you know what kind of pokemon's in it?"

She shook her head. "No. My brother found it the other day, on Route 12."

I looked the egg over. I couldn't tell much from the look of it. It was yellow with the numbers '6370' on it. _Hmm, most eggs reflect thier pokemon, so maybe…!_ "Are there any yellow pokemon known to live around Route 12?" I asked her.

Serena looked surprised that I'd ask a question like that, but answered all the same. "Uh, yeah. There are some Abra, Numel, Chingling, and Electabuzz in that area," she replied.

I nodded. "Then it's probably one of those," I said, looking over it again. It was really cold, and I knew that wasn't good. _But how to keep it warm without burning it? _I pondered.

Alysson brought over a blanket. "Here, you can wrap it in this," she suggested, starting to wrap the blanket around the cold egg.

"Thanks," Serena thanked her. "Let's go see if Nurse Joy can help." We ran to the door. "Wait! Bane, can you stay here and watch the Gym for me?" Before Bane could answer, she started again. "Great! If any trainers come, just tell them I'm booked for the next couple of hours. Thanks!" she shouted, now halfway down the street.

Bane stood there for a moment, then sulked. "Man, she really hasn't changed," he muttered.

**I imagine most of you will want a bit of entertainment, so I'll let Bane handle this part of the story, Kay?**

Well, I had been saddled with Gym-sitting. I remembered a similar time when Serena got me to watch her Growlithe when she went away for the weekend. Of course, it had to run away just two hours later. It took me days to catch that dumb mutt… Anyways…

I went back to the room that rock star weirdo was in and got a snack for my wait, but when I got back to the Gym…

"You!" an all-too-familiar voice shouted.

My eyes widened in terror. "Oh no," I muttered. There, in the door, stood her majesty, Queen of the Brats, Pampina Keepon.

**Bane: ...No one battled.**

**Oh, shut up. I'm posting another this weekend.**

**Bane: But why am I stuck with the brat?**

**Cuz you're awesome. :)**

**Bane: :(**

**B)**

**Bane: ...You win this round, Halestorming. You win this round.**

**Thank you. Next chapter's coming soon!**


	37. Chapter 29: A Pampered Brat & An Egg!

_Uploaded June 10__th__, 2012 (After midnight, again!)_

**It is here!**

**Bane: After midnight.**

**Aha! That makes it Sunday! Which is a day of the weekend! …even though it technically starts the week…**

**Bane: Yeah, that doesn't make much sense, does it?**

Pampina Keepon. You remember her, right? Loud, obnoxious, said I owed her a pokemon? Yep, that's her. "What are you doing here?" I asked with some annoyance.

She put her hands on her hips and glared at me. "I'm here to challenge the Gym Leader, for your information! What are _you_ doing here?"

I shrugged. "Visiting an old friend." Well, it _was_ true.

"Then leave!" she demanded. "I just got my sixth pokemon, no thanks to you, and now I'm challenging Serena!"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure that'll go well," I muttered. "Sorry, but Serena's gonna be busy for the next couple of hours. You're gonna have to wait."

She fumed. "No, no, NO!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "I wanna battle now!"

I cleaned an ear after that loud screech and looked at her. "Sorry, there's nothing you, me, or anyone else can do about. Now, run along."

She stomped her feet. "NO! I came here for a battle and I'm gonna have one! Right _NOW!"_

She started ranting and I groaned. Then I got an idea. "Hey, kid?" I got her attention. "How about a deal?"

She pouted angrily. "No way! You're no good at deals!"

I shrugged. "Not my fault you didn't know the rules," I said passively. "Anyway, we're gonna have a battle. If you win, you can battle Serena when she gets back, ahead of me and my friends. If I win, you won't challenge Serena today and…" This next part would be a gift from me to the entire city of Gnawton. "You can't talk for the whole day."

She raised an eyebrow. "And what if I fall down a well?" she asked.

_Then I'll laugh my head off_, I thought. I figured it'd be best to word it differently though. "Okay, if you're in trouble, or there's an emergency, then it doesn't count. Good?"

She tilted her head slightly. "But what if my daddy calls? He'll think it's funny if I just wave my arms around on the monitor."

_And so will I,_ I thought. Again, I chose different words to convey that thought. "Fine, but unless it's _absolutely necessary_, you can't talk, okay?"

She shrugged. "Sure. I'm gonna beat you anyways, so what does it matter?" she said, already considering the match won. "How about two-on-two, so I don't _break the rules again_?" she asked sarcastically.

I shrugged. "Still not my fault," I mumbled. "Sounds good. Take your spot and we'll get it started."

She took her spot and I, mine. "Ready?" I shouted.

"Get to it, already!" she shouted back.

_Who does she remind me of?_ I pondered. Then we released our pokemon. I chose to start off with Porygon, wanting to keep Anorith in stock as a surprise later on. But Pampina ended up being the one to surprise me. Her pokemon was a Whismur, though I was sure she'd have a nickname for it. "Let's win this one, Squeaky!" _Yup, there it is._ Don't get me wrong, nicknames are okay, some are pretty good. But hers are just…too…CUTE! She just gives them these sickeningly sweet names like Squeaky and Glam Blech! Hey, if that's what you like, well good for you. I'm just not a fan of the whole "cutsie-pootsy" nickname stuff.

"Porygon, conversion and flash cannon!" I began. Porygon glowed yellow, unfortunately making it an electric-type (I wanted steel, so that Whismur's normal-type attacks would do less damage). Porygon shot a flash cannon at the whisper pokemon.

"Squeaky, dodge and use uproar!" Whismur dodged the attack and shouted, forcing me to cover my ears. Porygon, however, seemed unaffected. "Huh? Hey, what gives?"

I blinked in surprise for a moment, then snapped my fingers. "Oh, right! Porygon doesn't have ears!" I stood there for a moment. "Then how do you hear me?" I asked my normal-type. He shrugged with no shoulders (I can tell).

"Okay, then… Squeaky, pound!" she ordered, changing tactics. Squeaky ran to Porygon and socked it, doing some damage.

"Porygon, sharpen!" Yep, Porygon learned a new move. Sharpen raises Porygon's attack power! Meaning that flash cannon is… just as powerful as it was before… dang it.

Porygon focused its energy and raised its attack. "Squeaky, pound again!" The Whismur smacked Porygon again, doing even more damage.

"Porygon, do something!" I shouted. What? Porygon's smart; I knew he'd figure something out. And he did just that: Porygon's tail glowed then turned metallic silver and he hit Whismur, knocking the squeaker a-windin'!

"Squeaky!" Pampina shouted. 'Squeaky' fell to the floor, KOed.

"Yes! One down, one to go!" I cheered. "Bring out your next Poke!"

Pampina growled slightly and pulled out an Ultra Ball. She threw it, releasing a Beldum. "Yeah! My newest pokemon will definitely beat you!" she exclaimed. "Do your thing, Bella!"

"Huh, Bella. Not bad," I commented. Yeah, out of the nicknames I've heard, that's her best. "Whatever. Porygon, iron tail!" Porygon rushed, tail ironing.

"Bella, take down!" Pampina ordered. Beldum hit Porygon, doing massive damage and, unfortunately, knocking it out.

I grumbled, returning Porygon. "Nice job," I commended him. Take down's a tough move to take. I got out Anorith's pokeball. "Next up, Anorith!" I said, releasing Anorith.

"Anor!" Anorith shouted upon release. _Ya'know, sometimes I think there's a brilliant mind at work under that shell._

"Anorith, metal claw!" I commanded. Anorith hopped over to Beldum, but the floating eyeball dodged it.

"Bella, take down!" And Bella whacked Anorith into the wall.

Anorith slunk down slowly. "Anorith!" I exclaimed. Pampina laughed. "Grr, Anorith, c'mon!" Anorith lay, motionless.

"Ha! Looks like I win," Pampina gloated. "Now, where's-" But she was cut off when Anorith leaped onto Beldum, wrapping its claws around her body.

"Bell! Bell!" Beldum shouted in a mechanical, echoed voice, tossing itself around in an attempt to get rid of Anorith.

"What!" Pampina screamed in shock. "That's not fair!"

I smirked. "On the contrary, there's no rule against a pokemon feigning fainting," I argued. "Hold on, Anorith!" Anorith held on for all he was worth, eventually tiring out Bella. "Now," I shouted. "Bug bite!"

Yep, a new move. Anorith bit down. Hard. Beldum screeched and fell, hitting the floor. Also hard. And KOed.

"No!" Pampina yelled. "I can't lose!_ NOOO__**OOOOO**__!_"

"Oh yeah!" I cheered. "I win! And now you have to shut up for the whole day!" Pampina glared, but said nothing. "HA!" I further taunted. She silently walked over to me and stomped on my foot. Hard. "OW!" I hopped on one foot, holding the other in my hand, and then she stepped on my other foot. Also hard. I lifted my other foot, but that makes it difficult to stand, ya'know… so I fell.

Pampina grinned, satisfied, and left. She passed Storm and the others on their way in, but still said nothing. Storm looked over at me. "What happened to you?" he asked.

I grumbled. "I battled a brat," I answered, getting up. Nurse Joy followed Serena in.

"Let's set the egg down over here," she suggested, setting the egg on a pillow, still wrapped in a blanket.

**And now, back to Storm!**

"Is it gonna be okay?" Alysson asked Nurse Joy.

The nurse turned on the heating in the electric blanket. Guess Bane didn't notice it was a different blanket, did he? Oh, well. "I'll do everything I can," the nurse assured her. "If it's alright, could we have a smaller room?"

Bane decided to interject here. "Smaller room? Why aren't you just doing this in the Pokemon Center?" he asked.

Nurse Joy turned to him. "The center's full," she replied. "Is there a smaller room?" she repeated.

Serena nodded. "Yes. This way." She led us to a small room in the back.

Nurse Joy sat the swaddled egg on the table. "I need a fire-type," she told us. I released Karryash. "That'll do. Fire-types have an inner heat that can keep eggs warm," she explained. "Now, I'll need some help and some time."

"I'll help," Bane offered. Wait, Bane offering help? That's crazy, right?

Nurse Joy nodded. "Just be ready to get anything I need," she directed.

It took a lot of time. Nurse Joy had Karryash sit on the egg to keep it warm, Bane was constantly running around getting one thing or another, and the nurse herself was checking the egg's temperature every second. Two hours later, she got up.

"Well?" Serena asked. "Is it gonna be… you know…"

The nurse smiled at her. "It'll be just fine. In fact," she added with a brighter smile. "It's about to hatch any minute now.

As though by some invisible cue, the egg started glowing white. It pulsed in this manner as we all gathered around to watch it. It glowed, it dimmed. It glowed, it dimmed. It glowed, it glowed brighter, it glowed brighter, it glowed brighter!

…It hatched! The egg's glow shifted its shape to form a brand new, baby-

"Aww! It's an Elekid!" Alysson chimed upon seeing the little yellow pokemon. Its eyes were shut upon being born. It rubbed them and opened its eyes slowly.

Bane bent down to look at it. "Huh, it doesn't look very strong, does it?" he commented.

"It's a baby," I answered. "It's not gonna be a fully grown Electivire at birth, ya'know."

The Elekid blinked a couple of times, staring at Bane. Bane blinked back. Bane scratched his head. Elekid scratched his head. Bane yawned. Elekid yawned. Bane raised an eyebrow. Elekid shouted "Breeee!" tossing Bane backwards, onto his butt. Serena giggled. Storm and Alysson laughed. Nurse Joy left. Elekid cheered. Bane pouted. Elekid pouted. This paragraph ended.

**Bane: Yo! Bane's got a new pokemon!**

**Yup. All that nagging paid off.**

**Bane: It just shows to go ya': with enough whining, you can get anything!**

**This is not an endorsement of whining, complaining, begging, shouting, and/or yelling to get your way. Thank you.**

**Bane: …Yup.**

…**Just enjoy the story, please.**


	38. Chapter 30: Battle Time! VS Serena!

Uploaded June 15th, 2012

**Here's chapter 30!**

**Bane: Duh, they **_**can**_** read, ya'know.**

…**Oh, be quiet.**

"So," I started after Bane got back up. "Who's going to battle you first?" The question was directed at Serena, of course.

Serena thought for a moment but Bane made half of our decision for us. "Not me. Porygon and Anorith are tired from the battle I had with the brat."

I shrugged. "Okay then. Alysson-"

"Not it!" she interrupted me.

"…Hey! That's not fair!" I argued.

She shrugged. "You snooze, you lose." I glared at her for a moment. _Why do I travel with these two again_? I asked myself. Bane was playing patty-cake with Elekid and got shocked. Alysson was smiling at me. I smiled back. _That's why._

Serena and I took our positions. "Ready?" she called.

"Yup!" I answered, taking out my pokeball.

She nodded and took out a pokeball. "Go, Dratini!" She released the light blue, snake-like, world-renowned dragon pokemon, Dratini. I chose to start with Karryash, saving Shellder's ice-type advantage for later.

"Okay, Karryash, let's open with an ember!" I called. Karryash unleashed a spread of embers at Dratini, doing fair damage.

"Dratini, retaliate with thunder wave!" Dratini sent a small wave of sparks outward, hitting Karryash…and Bane. Bane shook spastically for a minute, then fell over, stiff as a board. "…Okay… Dratini, slam!" Dratini slammed into Karryash, knocking my fire chick back a-ways.

"Karryash!" I shouted. "Come back with a blitz!" Yeah, since blitz can be used with ember and peck I usually have to specify, though I usually use just plain blitz for a peck blitz.

Karryash attacked Dratini, but Serena had a counter ready. "Dratini, use aqua jet to escape, then counter with dragon rage!" Dratini cloaked itself in water and propelled itself away from Karryash, then followed by shooting a ray of bluish, almost lightning-filled mist from its…mouth… Again with the pokemon without mouths.

Karryash took a bad hit, but quickly shook it off. "Nice job, Karryash. Now show her your new move!" Yep, Karryash learned a new move while we were training for the Gym. Karryash ran around Dratini at amazing speeds. Suddenly, copies started appearing through its trail: double team. Dratini was getting extremely disoriented. "Great job, Karryash! Now use running tackle!" I just don't run out, do I? Karryash quickly ran out of the circle of copies, hit Dratini with tackle, then got back into formation, staying hidden and doing a good amount of damage.

Serena wasn't just going to sit there and take it, though. "Dratini, hyper beam!" she shouted.

"What the Heracross!" I shouted; though could you blame me? _Hyper beam! It's the most powerful move in the pokemon universe! I mean, seriously!_

Dratini shot an amazing beam of energy at a point in Karryash's circle, then moved it opposite the direction of the Karryashes. Unfortunately, it didn't take long to find the real Karryash, who was knocked into the far wall of the Gym, KOed. Serena gave a satisfied smirk. "Well, that was easy. Who's your next pokemon?" she asked impatiently.

_I can see why Bane and her are best friends,_ I thought as I returned Karryash and got Shellder's pokeball ready. I released Shellder and quickly shouted, "Quick, while Dratini's recovering, icicle spear!" Shellder complied as quickly as I had shouted, shooting icicles from its horn at Dratini. Dratini, who was forced to recover due to a side effect of hyper beam, was hit head-on, and took massive damage!

"Tiiniiii!" the tiny dragon squealed as it flew backward and hit the floor with a thud. Dratini was knocked out. "Dratini!" Serena shouted, her disposition now completely changed by the KO of her first pokemon. She went over and picked it up, said something to it, then returned it. She got up and addressed me. "Nice, but you're not out of the waters yet," she challenged with a smirk, pulling out a pokeball.

I smirked back. "Bring it on," I challenged. Serena released her pokemon: a Horsea! I raised an eyebrow. "Umm, you know Horsea isn't a dragon-type, right?" I asked, looking the small seahorse over.

She nodded. "Yeah, but it evolves into one," she explained. "And it does know some dragon-type moves, like dragonbreath!" As soon as Serena said the word, Horsea shot the blue lightning mist at Shellder.

"Shellder, withdraw!" I shouted. Yes, withdraw doesn't heighten special defense, but it does put Shellder in a better defensive position. Shellder took the hit well considering it knocked him into the wall, bounced him around a bit, back into the line of fire, and finally back into the wall. "You okay?" I shouted. Shellder responded with a squeal and a hop. "Alright, now use twinneedle!" Shellder's horns glowed and elongated, then it hopped at Horsea.

"Horsea, dodge!" Serena commanded. Unfortunately, water-type pokemon have little to no movement on land and Horsea took the hit. "Horsea!" Horsea was hit hard, but it wasn't done yet.

"Seeeaaa!" The Horsea squealed. It quickly retaliated with a water gun, which directly hit Shellder.

"Sheeeehhllll!" Shellder squealed. Shellder got up, although I knew it had taken some serious damage.

"Shellder, stop!" I hollered. I wanted to help my family, but I wasn't gonna let my pokemon take this kind of pain. I could clearly see a crack in Shellder's shell, and I was getting really worried about it. Shellder looked at me, panting. It shook itself. "What? Shellder, are you nuts! You have a crack in your shell!" I took out Shellder's pokeball. "We need to stop."

I shot the pokeball's beam at him, but he hopped out of the way. I tried again, but he dodged it just as easily. Shellder looked at me, almost glaring. We stood there a moment, then I chuckled quietly. _I know,_ I thought to myself. "You're not gonna give up, are ya'?" Shellder shook violently. I chuckled again. _What was I thinking? I was gonna give up? …Thanks Shellder_. I took Bane's smirk. "Shellder, full-focus triple play!"

Shellder charged up twinneedle first (Shellder and I trained, and we figured out that if he focusses control over twinneedle first, he'll have better control overall, during triple play), then spun so fast he was a purple blur. Next comes the good part.

"Horsea, water gun!" Serena's command brought me back to the field. Horsea spat water at Shellder, which started to slow him down.

"Shellder, keep going!" I encouraged. Shellder kept on, struggling by the sound of it. But it kept going, and finally shot off an icicle spear! Horsea didn't stand a chance; the poor seahorse was knocked around the field and right into the wall, icicles piercing the area around it.

"Horsea!" As Shellder slowed to a halt, Serena ran over to Horsea and picked it up. "You did well, take a good rest," she told it, returning her final pokemon. She got up and congratulated me. "Nice job, Storm. I never expected you to pull out an attack like that," she complimented. "What was that?"

Bane and Alysson walked over. "That," Bane started. Is the move that almost made me a human pincushion."

I glared at him and Shellder hit him with a light water gun. "Thanks, Shell. And it was only because we hadn't used it before. Now Shellder can use it no prob."

Alysson was smiling. "Yep, and now you have two badges! And the reward," she added with a wink.

I smiled at her and nodded. "Thanks, Alysson." I turned to Serena.

Serena was smiling too. "Yep, you won. Congrats!" She pulled something out of her pocket: an envelope and a badge. This badge was shaped like an orange V with a circle in it, and two slits that looked like eyes on the V. Inside the envelope was, of course, the prize money. I beamed; 2300 Poke was inside that envelope! "That's the Victorious Badge," Serena told me. "Wear it with pride!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Wear?" I asked. "What do you mean?"

Now Serena was the one raising her eyebrows. "Really? Most people wear their badges on the inside of their jackets. You don't?"

I smiled. "I do now." I opened my jacket, took the Stalwart Badge Rocky gave me from my pack, and set both of my badges side-by-side inside my jacket.

Serena nodded, as though approving it. "It suits you," she complimented. She turned to Bane. "Now, I'll need a few minutes before we can have our battle, so you all can just wait here." She went back through the ornate doors that are in _every_ Gym.

"…So, waddaya wanna do?" Bane asked.

I shrugged. "I gotta go heal Karryash and Shellder."

I turned to leave, but Bane joined me. "Me too. Wanna come, Al?"

Alysson walked past him. "It's _Alysson_," she clarified. "Not 'Al'." She walked past us cheerfully and Bane and I shrugged, following at a distance.

At the Pokemon Center, we ran into someone we did _not_ expect to see. No, not Roderick or George. Actually, it was- "Mom!" I shouted upon seeing my mom at the center desk.

"Storm!" she shouted excitedly, running toward me then embracing me in a hug. "Ohh! It's been so long sweetie! Are you okay? How've you been? Is Karry doing well?"

"Mom," I choked out through the iron hug. "Running low on oxygen here."

"Hmm? Oh, sorry sweetie!" she said as she released me. "I'm just so happy to see you!" She heard Bane snickering and looked behind me, seeing him and Alysson. "Are these your friends?"

I looked at them. Bane was snickering like an idiot and Alysson was smiling. "Yes. I'm Alysson," she greeted, then pointed to Bane. "And this snickering idiot is Bane."

Bane jerked up at her comment. "Hey!" he shouted. "I have feelings too, ya'know!"

Alysson's eyes almost blew up. "Woah! Really? That's amazing! Next thing you'll be telling me is that you have a brain!"

"Buuurrn," I whispered. My mom nudged me. "Sorry," I muttered. "Well, Alysson, Bane, this is my mom."

They greeted each other and we chatted for a few minutes. "So, how many badges do you have, Storm?" my mom asked.

I opened my jacket. "Two, so far. In fact, we just…" _Oh, snap. _"The Gym! We were just at the Gym, I got my badge, we came here, we talked, and we were supposed to be at the Gym about-" I looked at the wall-clock. "-ten minutes ago! So, sorry but we gotta go let Bane have his battle and-"

"Okay, okay!" mom interrupted. "I understand; your friend has a battle with the Gym Leader." She waved us away. "Go ahead, I'll still be here afterward."

I nodded. "Thanks, mom." I turned to leave. "We'll see you after the match!"

We got to the Gym to see Serena waiting for us. "Well, it took ya' long enough!" she snapped. "Where were you?"

I glared at her slightly. "We were talking with my mother," I told her.

She looked away. "Well, I guess that's alright," she mumbled. She looked up at Bane. "By the way-"

"BEEEEEEEEEEEE!" We heard a horrible scream from back in the Gym.

"What was that?" Bane screamed.

"The baby Elekid!" Selena screamed back, barely audible over the noise. "It's been crying since you guys left, and we can't get it to shut up!"

Jack, Serena's little brother, ran in carrying the crying Elekid. "Sis, it's still crying!" he said.

"We can hear that!" Serena replied irritably. Suddenly, Elekid jumped out of Jack's arms and ran over to Bane, hugging his leg and immediately quieting.

"…Why'd it stop?" Bane asked. "...Um, what's going on?" he asked upon notice of the little electric-type on his leg.

Serena sighed. "I'm just glad it stopped crying."

The Elekid was hugging Bane's leg and tiny sparks were flying from one horn to the next (I'm not sure where, but I've seen them officially referred to as horns before). "I think it likes me," Bane said, rubbing it. He quickly pulled his hand back after a short spark.

Serena nodded. "Yeah, it does seem to like you," she agreed. She turned to Jack. "Hey, Jack?" Jack nodded. "Do you know the first thing Elekid did when it was born?"

Jack thought for a moment. "Yup, it copied Bane. That was funny," he laughed.

Serena nodded back. "That explains it. When a pokemon is first born, it thinks that the first thing it sees is its parent. And the first thing it saw was…"

"What? ME?" Bane asked in shock. "You mean, it thinks that I'm its parent?"

Serena nodded. "In a manner of speaking, yes."

Bane looked down at Elekid. It all but confirmed Serena's suggestion as it was cuddled up against Bane's leg, sleeping. "…I'm a mom?"

**Bane: …You made me its **_**mom**_**?**

**Yup, deal with it.**

**Bane: …Hey, Elekid isn't my pokemon!**

**You just figured that out?**

**Bane: But in the last chapter we were talking about me getting a new pokemon!**

**Yeah, but… Oh… Oops…**

**Bane: Oops? Really? You got my hopes up and then crushed them! How could you! *sobbing***

…**Moving on, I hope you guys are enjoying the story, and I guess I'll post next Friday.**

**Bane: BTW, Halestorming's decided to change from posting on Wednesdays to posting on Saturdays, because it's easier during summer.**

**Yup. So, enjoy! ENJOY, DANG IT!**


	39. Chapter 31: Taitatsu Roars!

_Uploaded June 26__th__, 2012_

**Hey. Sorry it took me longer than usual but, here it is!**

**Bane: Lazy author.**

**HOW DARED YOU! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT I WENT THROUGH THIS WEEKEND? ANY!**

**Bane: …I'm gonna go with a 'no'. Please read, people!**

Well, Bane was now considered the mom of a baby Elekid. "It has your eyes," I teased him, putting my arm around his shoulder.

Alysson giggled and Bane pushed me off of him. "Yeah, hilarious," he muttered. He looked to Serena. "But, if it thinks I'm its mo- DAD, then how are you guys gonna be able to keep it calm when I leave?"

Serena thought about this for a moment, then Jack spoke up. "Well… If Elekid thinks you're its mommy then… You should keep it." He muttered the last part.

Bane heard him, though. "What? You want me to have Elekid?"

"Are you sure about that, Jack?" Serena asked.

Jack nodded sadly. "I know that if someone tried to take my mommy away, I'd be really sad, so," he looked up at Bane. "You have to keep him."

Bane thought about this for a moment. "But, I don't know how to take care of a baby: I'll probably end up starving it or something!"

I sighed and put my hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll help you," I assured him. "But Jack's right. Elekid thinks you're its mommy and you need to take responsibility for him."

"Woah, woah, woah!" Bane stopped me. "Hold the phone! Why do I need to be responsible for him?"

"You're responsible for your other pokemon, right?" Alysson asked. "Why wouldn't you be responsible for Elekid?"

Bane had no comeback…well, not a good one, at least. "…Oh, shut up." Bane paced, Elekid still clutching his leg.

"So? Who's next?" Serena asked, tossing a pokeball back-and-forth between her hands.

Alysson shrugged. "I'm not really in the mood for a battle yet," she said, sitting in a chair that wasn't there earlier. "Thanks for the chairs, by the way."

Serena waved it off, then looked to Bane expectantly. "What? Me?" he asked, feigning stupidity…at least, I think…

"Yes you, stupid," Serena teased. "What, you're gonna come all the way to Gnawton and _not_ battle me?"

Bane smirked. "Well, if you're in that big a hurry to lose, then I," He made a mock bow. "Being a gentleman, must oblige." He took his position and I sat in the second chair, beside Alysson.

"You think he'll win?" Alysson asked, taking out a bag of microwave popcorn. My attention was focused on the battlefield. "Storm!"

I snapped out of it. "Huh? What? Oh, I think he'll do fine… Don't you need to pop those?" I asked, pointing to the unpopped bag of popcorn.

"You got Karryash with you?" I nodded. "Be my guest," she said, tossing the bag to me.

I slumped in my seat and called Karryash out. "Here, Karryash," I said, spilling the kernels onto the ground. "Lunch."

Alysson playfully punched my head. "I wanted him to cook them, not eat them," she said, pointing at my fire chick to emphasize the point.

"You want 'em back?" I asked with a grin. "Here." I picked up a pile that had some of Karryash's saliva on it.

She recoiled, extraordinarily grossed out. "I'll pass." I shrugged and tossed them back to Karryash.

"Ready, Bane?" Serena called to her friend.

"Always, Rena," Bane replied, pulling out a pokeball. "Always." They tossed their pokeballs, revealing Bane to have picked Anorith and Serena to have chosen a Bagon. "Umm, what exactly is that?"

Alysson got out her book. "Bagon, the rock head pokemon. A pure dragon-type, it has a dream of growing wings, to one day soar in the sky. In doomed efforts to fly this Pokemon hurls itself off cliffs. As a result of its dives, its head has grown as tough and as hard as tempered steel," she recited.

Bane nodded at her. "Thank you, madam pokedex," he droned. Alysson glared at him. "Anorith, metal claw, go!" Anorith hopped toward Bagon.

"Bagon, use dragon dance, then fire fang!" Serena countered. Bagon danced out of the way, while also raising its attack and speed, then its fangs set themselves aflame and it bit Anorith.

"Anorith, metal claw again!" Bane commanded. Anorith slashed at Bagon with a silver claw, doing some nice damage.

"Bagon, use headbutt!" Serena countered. Bagon rushed Anorith.

"Anorith, screech!" Anorith screeched, loudly. Bagon wailed in pain, along with me, Alysson, Serena, and Bane. Oddly enough the sound didn't bother the baby Elekid…who was still holding onto Bane's leg. "Ow, ow, OW! Anorith, you can stop now!" Anorith stopped. "Okay, gonna need a new set of ears now," Bane commented. "Anorith, use metal claw!"

"Again?" Serena interrupted. "Doesn't he know any other attacks?"

Bane shrugged. "Anory?" Anorith replied with purple pincers. Bane nodded. "Okay, use purple claw attack thingy!" Bane shouted rather awkwardly. Anorith slashed Bagon with an attack Alysson clarified to be 'cross poison.'

"Bagon!" Serena cried. Bagon fell to the floor, unconscious. Serena returned it. "Good job, buddy," she said, clipping the pokeball to her belt. She pulled out another. "Well, are you ready, Bane?"

Bane cracked his neck. "When am I not?" Serena released the large, orange dragon we had seen earlier. It came out with a powerful roar that shook the ground.

"Taitatsu," Serena announced. "The solar dragon pokemon."

Bane stared at it in awe. "Whoa. Not bad," he complimented.

"Taitatsu, dragon rush!" Taitatsu took flight about two feet, then rushed at Anorith with incredible speed, jaw agape and wings spread wide.

"Anorith, unless you're tired of living I suggest you RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" Bane shouted. Anorith made an attempt at dodging, but was hit almost immediately with the full-force of dragon rush.

"Now, vacuum wave!" Taitatsu quickly turned a full 360, producing a powerful wave of energy from its tail which knocked Anorith into the far wall and KOed the bug at the same time.

"It…It didn't even break a sweat," Alysson breathed in awe. I gotta admit, I was as impressed as she was. "Like it wasn't even trying."

Bane stood in shock for a moment, then returned Anorith. He looked to be studying the dragon carefully, then pulled out his other pokeball. He wordlessly released Porygon. "Porygon, flash cannon," he said evenly.

Porygon shot off a flash cannon at the dragon. "Taitatsu, vacuum wave!" Taitatsu rounded again, letting loose another wave of raw power. The shockwave cut through Porygon's flash cannon and hit the computistic pokemon. And, it was super effective!

"Porygon, agility, then flash cannon!" Porygon glowed light green, then shot another flash cannon at Taitatsu.

"Taitatsu, dragon rush right through it!" Taitatsu jumped and rushed at Porygon, blasting through the steel-type move and bearing down on it!

"Porygon, protect!" Bane shouted quickly. Porygon put up its barrier.

Taitatsu practically bounced off the shield. "Taitatsu, change to brick breaker!" Taitatsu raised its club-like tail and smashed the barrier to pieces, then slammed Porygon!

"Porygon!" Bane shouted desperately. Porygon whirred painfully (when you've been around a Porygon long enough, you start to notice the slight differences in its sounds). "Porygon, recover!" Porygon glowed a vivid white for a moment; not blinding, but beautiful.

After it faded, Porygon nearly jumped to the ceiling (figuratively, mind you) and cried, "POR-Y-**GON**!"

Bane fist pumped. "Oh yeah! Now use thunderbolt!" Porygon charged a thunderbolt.

"Taitatsu, use heat crash!" Taitatsu lit itself aflame and jumped high above Porygon. Porygon released its thunderbolt, damaging Taitatsu, but was unable to stop its decent. Translation: Porygon zapped the dragon, but he still fell on him, flaming-butt-first.

"PORYGON, NO!" Bane shouted over-dramatically. "ARE YOU OK?" Taitatsu got up, revealing a near-flattened Porygon (again, figurative; it was still quite 3-D). "…PORYGON!" Bane shouted while running to his pokemon. He somehow knocked Taitatsu out of his way (although he wasn't in his way in the first place) and picked up Porygon. "Porygon, speak to me… Please!"

…**Okay, I think you should hear something Porygon said.** "Master…Bane…Please…Stop being a drama queen. It's rather embarrassing." Although Bane only heard "Pory…Gon…Por…Por, pory, gon-gon. Porygon pory-pory."

"…You're okay!" Bane yelled, oblivious to his pokemon's comments. He hugged Porygon tightly.

"…Ow…" _Still worth it to know that Master Bane cares… If only a little too much. _Porygon thought as Bane returned him.

Serena walked over to him. "Looks like I win," she said victoriously.

Bane nodded. "Looks like it," he agreed, raising his hand. Serena took it and they shook. "Nice battle. And your dragon's pretty impressive too," he said, looking at Taitatsu.

Serena looked to Taitatsu, as well. "Yeah, he's pretty cool, isn't he? I got him a while ago; he's the only fighting/dragon-type there is." Taitatsu stretched and flexed its tail, then gave a powerful roar. Serena returned him.

Bane put his pokeball on his belt. "Well, I better go have Porygon healed. Storm, Alysson, you coming?"

Alysson and I got up and walked over. "Nah," Alysson replied with a shrug. "I'm gonna stay here and talk with Serena a while. If that's okay with you, of course," she added to Serena.

Serena nodded. "Sure, you two go ahead." So, Bane and I headed for the pokemon center. Once there we saw my mom again.

"Hey, mom," I greeted with a wave. I sat down while Bane got his pokemon healed. "So, what are you doing in Gnawton?"

"Oh, we're visiting your uncle Jorgen," she replied with a smile.

I raised both eyebrows. "We? You mean dad and Emma are here too?" For those of you who don't know, Emma is my little sister.

She nodded. "Yep. We're going to be staying with him for a while."

I narrowed my eyes. "Mom," but she stopped me.

"We're fine, Storm, and I don't want you worrying about us," she told me. I sighed and handed her half of the poke I won from my battle with Serena. "What's this?"

"Half the poke I won from the Gym here," I said, showing her my two badges.

She beamed. "Oh! Storm!" She hugged me. "You already have two badges? I'm so proud of you!"

I laughed, a little embarrassed. "Mom."

She let go. "Oh, alright. You want to get back to your friends, don't you?" I nodded a little. "Alright, I'll see you in a while." She got up. "If you wanna stop by, we're staying at your uncle's house." Then she left.

_Don't worry, mom,_ I thought. _I'm gonna do everything I can to help us._

Bane walked over. "Hey, she's just proud of you," he told me, sitting down. "My mom'd probably do the same thing. Hey, what's the next town, anyway?"

I thought for a minute, then shrugged. "I don't know. Alysson usually keeps track of that." Bane sighed and leaned back in his chair. "So, what do you wanna do next?"

Bane shrugged. "I might try to beat Serena again," he said relaxedly.

I jumped. "Seriously?"

He nodded, eyes on the ceiling. "Well, duh! What, you expected me to give up?"

I chuckled. "Nah, that definitely doesn't sound like you," I agreed. "Wat'cha gonna do, though? That Taitatsu's one tough customer."

Bane smirked at me. "My dear, dear, naive friend," he started. _Oh, here we go. _"I have a secret weapon that Serena doesn't know about. This!" he said, pointing to the baby Elekid who was…still hugging Bane's leg…

"…Has that been on your leg this whole time?" I asked in bewilderment.

Bane shrugged. "Honestly? I don't even remember when it grabbed on in the first place."

I groaned. "You're telling me that this **baby** Elekid is going to win you the match?" I said with heavy doubt.

"Oh, ye of little faith," Bane sighed. "This little Elekid is my ticket to success!" He got up and pointed upward dramatically. "He is my ticket to the stars!" he shouted.

People were staring. "I don't know him," I whispered to a close observer.

…**The baby Elekid? Really?**

**Bane: *shrugs* I'm confident.**

…**Sure you are. Anyways, I'm uploading Taitatsu's Pokefile alongside this chapter, so read it! Read it or else!**

**Bane: …Or else what?**

**Or else, I'll… I'll… I'm sure I'll think of something.**

**Bane: …Hey! I just got myself a new pokemon! Woohoo! *balloons and confetti fall from the sky***

**That's nice for you. Now, moving on, I was checking out Serebii ****DOT**** net , you know, the greatest pokemon website known to man, and-**

**Bane: Abadabdibadabadoop! No spoilers on Black and White 2!**

…**Okay… Anyways, there should be some challenging trainers, and… THERE'S A DIFFICULTY SETTING!**

**Bane: Wow. Didn't think pokemon had one.**

**They didn't. Now they do. End of story.**

**Bane: End of chapter, actually.**


	40. Pokefile: Taitatsu!

_Uploaded June 26__th__, 2012_

**Here's the pokemon you've all been waiting for!**

**Bane: Bobbaloo? **

…**I don't even know what the heck that was even about. Please read.**

_**Taitatsu – the Solar Dragon Pokemon**_

Legendary Pokemon who holds the power of the sun.

Length: 7'4"

Weight: 243.34lb.

Dragon/Fighting dual-type Pokemon

Description: A dusty orange dragon who draws its power from the radiation of the sunlight. Its head is smooth, shaped almost like a raindrop. It has a long row of short, pointed teeth, and its snout is smooth with two slit nostrils at the end. Its horns are flat, and curve downward, then forward to meet the base of the horns, almost forming a circle. It has a long, slender body and two hind legs resembling those of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and its arms are short and have three small fingers. At the end of its tail is a spiked, mace-like, club that looks like a common depiction of the sun from certain angles, and it has two long, very thin wings that curve and make a V-shape with the length that comes from Taitatsu's body being shorter by a couple of feet. It uses the rays of the sun to give it power, and can use some fire-type attacks, as well as solarbeam, because of that. It does have many powerful fighting-type attacks, however, that it can use to defend itself or its trainer.

Normal Colors: Dusty Orange body, Bright Yellow eyes, White claws and fangs

Shiny Colors: Bright Red body, Bright Yellow eyes, White claws and fangs


	41. Chapter 32: Rematch! Dragon VS Baby?

_Uploaded July 8__th__, 2012_

**Yes, it's a little late, but here it is! Enjoy!**

Bane went to go train his Elekid and I went to go meet up with Alysson and Serena. Although two girls shopping and doing girly things was not my idea of fun, I thought it better than watching Bane train a baby Elekid in vain. When I got to the Gym, I was greeted with a surprising sight. Alysson and Serena were battling!

On Alysson's side stood Llama, the Gerbirfur, and on Serena's side was her Bagon. "Llama, use wing attack!" Alysson ordered. Llama rushed Bagon.

"Bagon, dragon dance away, then use twister," Serena countered. Bagon danced away and breathed out a bluish mist which formed itself into a twister and headed for Gerbirfur.

"Llama, fly away from it!" Alysson directed. Gerbirfur tried to fly away, but was sucked into the dragon-type winds. "Llama!" Gerbirfur was spun around a while, then ungracefully deposited onto the floor. Alysson ran over to it, kneeled over, and picked it up. "You did good," she said, returning it.

Serena walked over to her. "You did pretty good, yourself," She congratulated, offering her hand to her.

Alysson took it and pulled herself up. "Thanks, that was a good battle."

I walked over to the two. "Well, I missed a lot," I said to them. "You two just battled?" I know it was a bit redundant, but… Oh, shut up.

"Yup," Alysson replied with a nod. "She's a really good battler."

Serena giggled. "I'm not _that_ good," she protested.

"Well, you're certainly not that easy," I commented. "You were definitely hard to beat. And while we're on the subject, how the heck does Dratini know hyper beam?"

Serena giggled. "I'll tell you over lunch."

We sat down to lunch and talked for a while, then Bane arrived. "I am here for my rematch!" he shouted upon entry.

Serena raised an eyebrow. "Rematch? When did I agree to that?"

Bane shrugged. "Wanna have a rematch?"

Serena giggled and got up. "Alright. 2-on… Ya'know what? I'm gonna give you a sporting chance. You can use as many pokemon as you'd like, and I'll only use Taitatsu. Sound fair?"

Bane was shocked, to say the least. "Umm, not really," he said doubtfully.

Serena walked past him, leading the way to the battlefield. Once we got there, she turned to Bane. "Oh, believe me, it's more than fair." She went to her position; Bane went to his.

"Okay, if you say so," Bane conceded somewhat hesitantly. Bane and Serena called out their pokemon, Bane choosing Anorith and Serena releasing Taitatsu, as Alysson and I stood at the sidelines. "Anorith, screech!" Anorith screeched…duh.

"Taitatsu, use dragon rush!" Serena countered. Taitatsu rose into the air and rushed Anorith.

"Anorith, dig outta the way!" Anorith dug a hole and retreated into it, avoiding Taitatsu's rush.

"Use flamethrower into the hole!" Serena once again countered. Taitatsu breathed a powerful jet of flame into the hole, but Anorith quickly popped out of the ground, the flames following just behind him.

Then Bane got an idea. "Anorith, dig a whole lot of tunnels!" Anorith dug underground, popping up for only seconds at a time, only to go underground again almost immediately.

"What are you up to?" Serena questioned quietly. After Anorith had dug a few more tunnels, Serena decided to make a move. "Taitatsu, when it comes out, use vacuum wave!" As Anorith surfaced again, Taitatsu quickly spun around, creating a wave of force that hit Anorith head-on, KOing the bug.

Bane reluctantly returned Anorith. "You did well, my prehistoric pokemon." He pulled out his second pokeball. "Go get em, Porygon!"

Porygon was released with an electronic cry. "Pory-gon-gon!"

"Taitatsu, vacuum wave again!" Taitatsu spun, sending out another wave of force.

"Porygon, protect, then send out a thunderbolt wave!" A green barrier protected Porygon from the vacuum wave, then it released a spread of lightning from its body, a few sparks hitting Taitatsu, but doing little damage.

"Why did he do that?" I asked from the sidelines.

Alysson looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

As Porygon sent out another wave of thunderbolt, I explained. "Well, usually a pokemon sends a thunderbolt directly at their opponent, to do more damage. But Bane sent his thunderbolt through the air. It might be better against multiple opponents, but against one opponent, it's not very effective."

"Taitatsu, stop it with gust!" Serena's command reverted my attention. Taitatsu flapped his wings, blowing Porygon off balance. "Now, use brick break!" The massive orange dragon quickly came down on Porygon with its club-like tail, once again one-hit KOing Bane's pokemon.

Bane returned his first pokemon with a grimace. "You did good, Porygon."

Then Serena stretched her arms above her head. "Well, that was interesting, but unfortunately- you lost again," she said with a giggle. "So-"

"Up-bup-bup!" Bane interrupted. "I'm not done yet." He pulled out his final pokeball. "Go, Bane Jr!" And with that, Elekid was released.

"…Bane Jr?" I asked from the sidelines. "Really?"

Serena seamed more shocked than me, though. "…ARE YOU CRAZY? YOU CAN'T USE A BABY TO FIGHT TAITATSU! THAT'S JUST…CRAZY!"

Bane shrugged, Elekid mimicking him. "He's a big boy."

"Bee-be-bee," Elekid agreed.

Serena sighed. "Well, it'll be over quick. Taitatsu, make this as quick and painless as you can, kay?" Taitatsu replied with an agreeing growl and nod. "Alright, let's go with vacuum wave."

Taitatsu turned quickly, creating one more wave of power. "Bane Jr, underground!" Bane countered. His junior jumped into one of the many holes littering the field, surprising Taitatsu. "Now, pop out and thunderbolt!" Bane Jr. jumped out of one of the holes behind Taitatsu and sent a bolt at him, doing some real damage!

My eyes widened in realization. "That clever little sneak," I breathed. Alysson looked at me curiously. "He planned everything. The holes – they let Bane Jr. make a quick escape from Taiatsu's attacks." Elekid jumped back underground. "And the thunderbolts Porygon spread out into the room – they charged the air, strengthening his Elekid's electric-type attacks… It's brilliant, really."

Serena looked like she was ready to faint. "…Taitatsu, use a flamethrower into one of the holes!" she quickly countered, once the shock wore off. Taitatsu prepared to shoot fire into a hole.

"Bane Jr, get in his face!" With that, Bane Jr. jumped out of the hole Taitatsu was in front of and grabbed him by the face!

"Taitatsu!" Serena screamed. Taitatsu thrashed about in an attempt to get Bane Jr. off of his face, but was failing miserably.

"Now, give 'im a jolt!" Bane Jr. unleashed a powerful thunderbolt at Taitatsu, doing massive damage.

Taitatsu roared in pain. "Taitatsu!" The great dragon continued thrashing and the little, yellow sparkplug continued shocking him. "Try using vacuum wave to shake him off!" Taitatsu spun many times, trying to get Bane Jr. off. Eventually it worked; Bane Jr. was flung into the air and hit the ground with a thud. "Great! Now, use dragon rush!" Apparently, Serena now accepted Elekid as a genuine threat.

Taitatsu wasted no time in rushing at Bane Jr, quickly descending on the yellow pokemon. "Junior, use quick attack to dodge!" Bane Jr. quickly ran out of the way at blinding speeds, leaving Taitatsu to look around, wondering where he had gone. "Now! Give it all you got!" Bane shouted, pointing at the sky. We all looked up to see Bane Jr, a few feet above Taitatsu. "Thunder!"

Bane Jr. released an amazing thunder attack, rivaling that of a certain electric mouse on a TV show, which hit Taitatsu hard! "RRRRAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRR!" Taitatsu roared painfully. He fell to the floor with a thud.

The room was filled with silence. Not a word was said, and then- "Oh, yeah!" Bane shouted. "We won! We won, we won, we won!" he shouted, picking up Elekid and swinging him around.

"Bee, bee, bee!" Bane Jr. squealed as cheerfully as his namesake.

I chuckled lightly. "Great. Now there are two of them." Alysson giggled and we went over to join Bane.

Bane and Bane (junior) turned to us with huge grins. "We did it!" he shouted.

"Bee-bee!" Elekid mimicked. Serena slowly walked over to join us after recalling Taitatsu.

"…" She stood silently.

"What? Meowth got your tongue?" Bane asked with a smirk.

Serena slowly broke into a smirk, then laughed. "Man, I haven't had a battle like that in a while!" she exclaimed. "And no one's ever beaten Taitatsu before! …Then again, no one's ever battled Taitatsu before…"

"Yeah, yeah, very fascinating," Bane said flatly. "Gimme my badge!" he shouted.

Serena shook her head and giggled. "Here," she said, handing him the badge. "You've earned it." She walked toward the back of the Gym, then stopped. "…So, where are you guys going next?" she asked, not turning around.

"To the next town, of course," Bane answered. "Gotta keep moving, right?"

"…Right…" Serena answered with a sad tone. "Well…I guess…I'll see ya…"

Bane nodded. "Yep, see ya," he said, turning to leave.

We were at the door, when- "Bane!" We turned and saw Serena running toward us. She ran up to Bane, lightly kissed his cheek and ran into the doors at the back. "Goodbye! See you soon!" she shouted as she closed the doors.

Bane just stood there and blinked. He blinked again…he blinked again and slowly brought his hand up to his face. "…Bye," he said after a while.

We left and went straight to a pokemon center, Bane completely silent on the way; his hand on his cheek and Bane Jr. on his leg. When we arrived, Bane returned Elekid and handed his pokemon to Nurse Joy. Then we took a seat in the cafeteria.

We sat in silence for a few moments. "…So," I started. "Now Bane and I have two badges." Bane said nothing. "…Umm… Oh! Alysson, where's the next Gym?"

Alysson got out her book and flipped through it a bit. "Hmm. It looks like the next town is…" She quickly shut her book. "Dreamrir."

I raised an eyebrow. "Umm, didn't you say that by the time we reached Dreamrir, we could've been to two _other_ Gyms?" I asked suspiciously.

She gave a plastic smile. "What? I never said that." She gave a nervous laugh. "You're so silly. C'mon, let's go!" She quickly got up, leaving Bane and I alone.

"Did she seem… nervous to you?" I asked Bane. He just sat there, his hand _still_ on his cheek.

I smacked him upside the head. "Who, what, where!" he shouted. "Oh, hey."

I sighed. "Have you been paying any attention since Serena kissed you?" I asked with a roll of the eyes.

Bane's eyes blanked out and he put on a stupid grin. I slammed my head on the table. Then Nurse Joy came over. "Bane?" Bane snapped out of it to look up at her. "Here are your pokemon." She handed his pokeballs to him. "Have a nice day."

As she left and Bane put his pokeballs on his belt, I got up. "Where ya goin?" he asked.

"I'm gonna go visit my family before we leave," I told him.

Bane nodded. "Okay. I'm gonna go get some supplies. Wanna meet up at Route 12?"

I agreed and we split off. I soon arrived at my uncle Jorgen's house, where my mom, dad, and sister were staying. I knocked on the door and my uncle answered. "Storm!" he greeted in a loud, booming voice.

My uncle, Captain Jorgen Craigson, of the Kenewyore United Services Air Force. He's a well-built man who keeps himself in shape. He wears a beige uniform with the KUSAF emblem on it (he's in the reserves), and black combat boots. He has short, blonde hair, and a very sloppy shave. "How ya' been?" he shouted.

"I've been good, Uncle Jorgen," I told him. "So, mom and dad are staying here?" I asked.

He gave a booming laugh. "Yeah, come on in." The house was nice; a small place, two bedrooms, one bath, a nice living room. And in that living room was my dad.

"Storm!" he called to me. "It's so good to see you." He came over and gave me a hug.

"Hey, dad," I greeted. "So, how's your research been going?"

"Oh, just fine, just fine," he said. "Oh! By the way, we have something for you." He walked into the hallway, leaving me and Jorgen alone.

"…So, anything interesting happen while I've been gone?" I asked Jorgen.

Jorgen sighed. "Well, I'll be honest with you," he started. "It hasn't been easy for yer mom and dad since the bank incident. It's been real tough with money and your dad's paychecks haven't been gettin' any bigger."

"BUBBY!" I turned and saw my sister running in. She tackled me to the ground. "Bubby!"

I laughed. "Hey, Emma." I got up and she started jumping up and down. "How've you been?"

She pouted. "It's boring!" she whined. "Mom and Dad are always busy, and Uncle Jorgen never plays with me."

Uncle Jorgen put on an offended face. "Hey, it's not my fault. What, with all my work takin' me here, there and everywhere, I ain't got the time to blow my nose."

I chuckled, then my mom and dad came in. "Storm, we have something for you," my dad said, his hands behind his back.

"It's from all of us, Storm," my mom added. Dad pulled a small, wrapped box from behind his back and handed it to me.

"Wow, thanks," I replied with surprise. I started opening it. "You didn't have to…" Inside the box was a small, blue pokeball with two red stripes on top: a Great Ball. "Cool! A great ball! Thanks!" A great ball's a lot better for catching pokemon than a poke ball.

My mom giggled. "Look inside it! Look inside it!" Emma shouted.

My eyes widened. _…They got me a pokemon?_ I took out the great ball and held it in front of me. "…It's not like an Onix or something that'd break the house, right?" My dad shook his head 'no', so I released it, and…

**! I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist!**

**Bane: …THAT is where you left it? Seriously?**

**What? By the way, I'm working on a few more pokemon related ideas (all linked to this story), so expect more soon! As long as my internet connection's up, that is.**

**Bane: Is that why you were late?**

…**You know it is! You live in my imagination! Where have you been?**

**Bane: Well, certainly not trying to break through the fifth wall and warring with Switzerland, that's certain.**

…**Fine. By the way, did anyone else hear that there's a World Tournament feature in Black and White 2? I'm thinking about doing a fanfic about it someday. That'd be cool.**

**Bane: …Well, time to end this. *opens mouth to speak***

**Alysson: Please review, people! Oh! And check out FunFanFicForYou's stories, as well as Halestorming's buddy, OwenG2107! They haven't been having as much luck with reviewers as they'd like.**

**Bane: You stole my thunder!**


	42. Chapter 33: We're Coming to Comington!

Uploaded July 14th, 2012

The Great Ball my parents gave me released a Shiekire! It's a small bat pokemon, but it actually reminds me of a Roggenrola. It's round, covered in black cloth that's wrapped cleanly and tight, and has one, piercing, turquoise eye, two black wings, which are also covered in a neat, black cloth, and no feet.

"…You got me a Shiekire?" I asked quietly.

My mom looked sad. "You don't like it?" she asked. "Well, we can-"

"No, no, I love it!" I exclaimed, looking at my little, dark-type with pride. "It's awesome! But, how'd you get it?"

My parents smiled at me. "I got it for my research, a few days ago," my dad explained. "So, when I finished my research, I decided that, instead of releasing it, I could give it to you."

It flew around my head. "Cool. Thanks guys." I gave them all hugs and returned my new pokemon, then put its pokeball on my belt. Then we sat and talked for a while. Eventually, I decided it was time to go. "Well, I guess I'll see ya'."

We said our goodbyes and I went to Route 12 and waited. Eventually, Bane came. "Sup?" he greeted. "So, how'd it go?"

I shrugged. "Went well. Have you seen Alysson?"

Bane shrugged back. "I thought she'd be with you." We looked around. "Hey, is that her at the café?" he asked, pointing to a café nearby, where Alysson was sitting at a table, talking on a cellphone.

We went over to her. "I can't tell them," she was saying. "No, it's not like that…What? No! I mean, he's not…Can I say something!" She seemed to be arguing with whoever was on the other end of the phone. Bane motioned for me to be quiet and tiptoed closer.

He leaned reeeaaally close. "…Hi." At the word, she fell out of her seat. "Who ya' talkin' to?"

Alysson quickly hung up. "That was a private call," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "And it was none of your business!"

Bane folded his arms. "But it is our business if you're several minutes late to meet up, isn't it?" He had her there. "I checked a map and Dreamrir isn't the closest city." Alysson muttered something sharply, under her breath. "The closest city is Comington."

_Hmm? Comington? But why did Alysson lie to us?_ I wondered as Alysson shifted her feet nervously.

"Umm…Well…You see…" she trailed off.

Bane sighed. "Alright, let's get going," he ordered, leading the way to Route 12.

Alysson looked up in obvious surprise. "Wait!"

Bane turned to her. "Yes?" he asked, one eyebrow higher than the other.

"…Nothing," she replied quietly.

We walked to Route 12 and onward; a very uneventful walk, really. We met next to no pokemon, found zero trainers, and no one talked, at all. Eventually, we reached a sign that read 'Route 12, Comington – West, Gnawton – East'.

"Well, we're getting close," Bane commented as we walked past the sign. A bit farther ahead, we saw a flier on a tree. Bane went over to it and read, "High Society Society meeting, here at exactly four, o'clock, promptly.' …That's a name for ya'. 'The High Society Society.' I mean, seriously, what's wrong with them?"

Alysson was looking all around, a bit nervously. "Something wrong?" I asked her.

She snapped toward me. "Hmm? Oh, nothing! Nothing at all!" She kept her head still, but was glancing around everywhere.

"I mean, who would name themselves something so stupid?" Bane continued to rant. "If I-" But he was interrupted by someone I will never forget.

"YAAAAAHHH!" We looked to see a very well-dressed boy, about our age, but very skinny, running toward us, limbs flailing. He wore a white dress suit, and had short, brown hair that was styled with a _lot_ of gel. As he ran closer, we wondered if we should move.

However, when he did come to us, he ran right into Bane, and proceeded in trying to punch and kick him… As he was relatively weak, this did next to nothing. Eventually, though, Bane grew tired of it and shouted, "Would someone help me up?"

I shrugged and Alysson was just standing there, so Bane called out his Elekid. As soon as he saw his namesake being attacked, he ran over and lightly shocked the kid. Said guy was fried and fell to the ground, twitching.

"…Well, that was weird," Bane commented as he returned Bane Jr. and got up. Suddenly, a whole bunch of well-dressed people in uniform arrived and started murmuring at the sight.

Then the boy who attacked Bane jumped up. "How dare you!" he shouted.

"Me!" Bane shouted back. "You run into us, start attacking me, then get offended! Who the heck do you think you are!"

Alysson looked like she was trying to just disappear. "I am Jest Wellington the Fourth!" he exclaimed. "And you," he pointed to Alysson. "Have stolen my bride!"

"WHAT!" Bane and I shouted in unison. We looked at Alysson, who just stood there, with a weak smile. She waved. "Hi."

After a moment, Jest continued. "She was betrothed to be my wife, and then she just vanished! We knew she must've been kidnapped, but the kidnapper left no ransom. And so, we searched high and low, but found no trace of my dear Alysson."

"Dear?" Bane asked quietly. He was shushed by several of the people in the crowd.

"But I knew," Jest continued. "That someday, somehow, my love and I would be reunited. And here she is!" He pointed to Alysson, but she was gone. A few feet away, she was slowly inching back down the road. Suddenly, two large, uniformed men blocked her path. "Ahh, I see you still have the pre-wedding jitters. Not to fear!" he shouted dramatically. "For we have caught the criminals responsible for your disappearance, and they shall have justice brought down upon them!" Then two more large men approached me and Bane.

"Hold it!" Alysson shouted, her appearance now more angry than nervous. "They didn't kidnap me! I ran away!"

Jest looked taken aback and the two men backed away. "But, but, my dear. Why would you run away?"

Alysson stomped her foot. "Because, I don't want to marry you! I told you when we were 5, I told you when we were 7, I told you when we were13, and I told you three weeks ago, I don't want to marry you!"

Jest laughed. "Oh, those are just the nerves talking. Besides, it's already been decided."

"By who!" Bane burst out. "She just said she doesn't want to, but you're saying she has to? Surely you jest!" Leave it to Bane to make a stupid joke at the wrong time.

"Of course not," Jest replied, not getting the joke. "It was decided at our births, by our parents, that we would be wed on the first day of spring, in our fifteenth years." He turned to Alysson. "And the time has come, my love! The first day of spring is tomorrow!"

Alysson gritted her teeth. "Let me repeat this again, slowly," she said, her temper just barely held back. "I. Don't. Want. To. Marry. You!"

Jest sighed. "Men, please take her to her parents. Perhaps they can help her calm her nerves."

The two large men picked Alysson up and carried her towards Comington. "Hey! Put me down! Let go of me, or else! Storm! Bane! Help!" she shouted as she was dragged away.

Bane turned to the boy angrily. "Hey where do you get off-"

Jest turned to him angrily. "I cannot forbid you from entering the city, but consider yourselves not invited to my wedding!" he shouted. "I don't care what she says; I know you two did something to her!" He was fuming. "I shall have my wedding day!" He ran toward the town, following the crowd.

We stood there for a minute. "Well, this is a snag, isn't it?" I asked Bane. "What do we do now?"

Bane shrugged. "Go to Dreamrir?" I glared at him. "Okay, fine. We'll help Alysson. Lousy conscience." He muttered the last part.

"That wasn't your conscience, that was me," I told him.

He shrugged. "I like to think of you as my Jiminy Cricket." He thought for a moment. "You got a top hat and cane?"

I sighed as we reached Comington, the crowd from before long since dispersed. Comington was small, but it was filled with mansions and large buildings of every shape and color: a very rich neighborhood. "Okay, so where do we start?"

"I SAID PUT ME DOWN!" we heard from our left.

"…I say we go left," Bane suggested. We walked that way and eventually reached a gate, through which we saw Alysson being carried into a mansion. "…Okay, now what?"

"Let's see if we can get in," I suggested, walking to an intercom system.

"_KRRZT! May I help you?"_ a man asked from the intercom system.

"Yes, we're friends of the girl you just carried in," I said. "May we come in?"

"_I'm afraid we'll need to be sure you-" "LET THEM IN, YOU IDIOT!"_ I heard Alysson interrupt. _"…You may come in."_ With that, the gate opened.

We walked up to the mansion and opened the doors. Inside was a beautiful mansion. It had red carpet, amazing wall art, high ceilings with many chandeliers, and a large couch upon which a well-dressed man with gray hair and mustache and a woman with a red evening gown sat. "Hello," the man greeted with a tip of his cap. "And who might this be?"

"Hello," I returned. "We're friends of Alysson's. Ya'know, the girl that was just carried in here, against her will."

The man looked a bit sad and sighed. "Yes, most unfortunate," he said. "She refuses to keep her promise."

"My promise!" We all turned to see Alysson in… a big, fluffy, pink ballgown… _Wow. _"You guys made that promise to Jest's family, not me! I don't want an arranged marriage!" Bane and I were barely holding back our laughter at the sight of Alysson in a big, pink, ballgown. "…Not. One. Word."

I held it back, but Bane burst out in laughter, surprising the man and woman. "Umm, hi Alysson," I greeted, only barely containing myself. "So…What's up?"

Alysson glared at me. She sighed. "Well, at least _you're_ holding it back," she admitted, glaring at Bane now, who was still laughing. "And, for your information, it's their idea," she said, pointing at the man and woman.

"Alysson, dear, it's not that bad," the woman said. "Besides, it's much better than those dirty clothes you arrived in."

"Mom!" Alysson shouted. "It's embarrassing."

"So…your mom and dad had you carried to your home by force?" I pieced together.

"No," she replied. "That jerk, Jest, had me carried home by force."

"Alysson!" the man, whom I figured to be her father, chided. "Jest is a very nice boy."

"He's a pest," Alysson muttered.

"Excuse me," I interrupted. "Alysson, Bane, and I _were_ in the middle of something."

Her father straightened in his seat. "Excuse me? Are you saying that some rampant wandering adventure is more important than a wedding vow?"

"I NEVER GAVE A VOW!" Alysson protested furiously. "I WAS FORCED INTO THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

Bane had finally stopped laughing long enough to talk. "Exactly what vow was given?" he asked.

Her father's look saddened. "A vow I could not take back, even if I wanted to. I promised Jest my daughter's hand in marriage."

His wife nodded. "And Alysson is our only daughter. Although fifteen is a bit young to be marrying, she will be well taken care of."

Alysson fumed. "But… This is crazy!" she protested. "I can't get married yet! I'm fifteen! There's so much more I wanna do!"

"Was this 'vow' ever notarized?" Bane asked, continuing his earlier question.

"It was, actually," Alysson's father replied.

"May I see it?" Alysson's father got up and went into the hall.

"Mom, isn't there anything we can do?" Alysson pleaded.

Her mother shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid not, dear." I could see her eyes watering. Then Alysson's father returned, with a stack of papers.

"We don't have the original," he said, setting the papers on the table. "But here is a copy."

Bane looked at the three-inch thick stack of paper. "…This sums up a little 'I do'?" he asked incredulously.

Her father sighed. "They were quite thorough, when we were having it notarized."

"So you know what all of this says?" I asked him.

He looked at the floor sheepishly, very similar to how Alysson did. "Well, I may have dozed off at some point," he admitted.

"Dad!" "Dear!" his daughter and wife shouted, making him cringe.

"Yes, I admit, it was wrong of me, but you would not believe how big of a windbag Jest III is!" he argued. "And don't even get me started on his father, Jest II!"

"Hey, would you keep it down?" Bane said, reading through the first page of the massive agreement. "I'm trying to read, here."

"…So, when is the wedding?" I asked, figuring out how much time we had to figure out how to stop this wedding.

"Tomorrow," her mother replied. "At noon."

Bane and I jumped, then Bane started reading faster. "We only have until noon tomorrow?" I asked disbelievingly. "How can we-"

"I got it!" Bane shouted. "Here, look at page 432!"

"…You're already at page 432?" I asked, astonished at his reading skills.

Bane shrugged. "I started from the back," he explained. "All the loopholes are at the back. Now, come over here and read!"

He showed us a very interesting passage. "Hmm, yes…" her father pondered. "That may just work!"

"Hold it!" I shouted. "Could you re-read that section for me?"

Bane nodded. "Sure. Hmm, the challenger must… Oh… Now I see the problem."

"Well, that depends on how Alysson feels about it," her mother interjected. She turned to her daughter. "Alysson?"

Alysson hadn't yet read the page. She pulled up her gown slightly and walked over to join us, barely able to walk with a gown that size. Then she read it. "…What!" she shouted.

"Hey, it's not like we couldn't use this loophole again, when you find someone else," I told her. "Besides, you'd be out of this mess."

Alysson thought it over, then sighed. "Fine," she submitted. "But I am picking the date!"

We split off to prepare for the 'big day'. Finally, after a good night's sleep, we went to the local chapel. There we found a certain, snobby, numeral-named brat. "You!" Jest the Fourth shouted upon seeing us. "I thought I told you-"

"Whoa! Easy there, big guy!" Bane stopped him. "We've come to terms and we just wanted to be here to support our friend. Is that so bad?" he said, putting his arm around Jest's shoulders. "C'mon, Fest, be a sport."

Jest nudged Bane's arm off him. "Hmm, I suppose it's alright then."

"By the way, nice tux," Bane added in remark to Jest's freakishly Big Bird-yellow tuxedo. "Custom?"

Jest smiled at his sarcastic compliment. "Yes, it is. Thank you." They walked away, talking about his strange fashion sense as I got a seat near the front.

After many long speeches, including a particularly boring one given by Jest I (for an old guy, he sure can talk), in which I had to keep Bane from dozing off, it was finally time for the big moment. Alysson walked down the aisle in a beautiful, white wedding dress, her father walking her down. Then the parson started. "Dearly beloved," and you know the rest. Then he got to the good part. "If anyone objects to this union, let him speak now, or forever hold his peace." Alysson raised her hand. "I said let _him_ speak now, or forever hold _his_ piece."

"That's gender discrimination!" Alysson declared angrily.

"I object!" I had stood up and raised my hand.

"What!" the three youngest Jest's shouted in shock. The oldest just shouted it because he hadn't heard me. "On what grounds?" Jest III asked me.

"On the grounds," I swallowed and gathered my courage. "That I wish to challenge Jest IV for Alysson's hand!"

**Okay, I have very little to say, so I'll get on with it.**

**Bane: Whoa, whoa, whoa! You can't just finish a chapter like that and end it! What's wrong with you?**

…**I'd like to do something I haven't for a while.**

**Bane: Go to Walt Disney World?**

…**Thank my reviewers! I would like to personally thank Key2DestNE (many times), musa lover, heartarrow56, Lilac the goddess of Flowers, anonymous reviewers Pikakid and Guest, Y-ko, OwenG2107, FunFanFicForYou, RabbitTYD, and writer's block 2000! Most of whom I haven't heard from for a while. I really do appreciate all of your reviews, so THANKS!**

**Bane: You guys even get a thank you from me! Thank you all, m beloved fans!**

…**Yep. Read and review!**

**Bane: I thought you said we weren't gonna do that for a while.**

**I did. It's been a while. GOOD MORNING, PLANET OF EARTH! (it's morning here).**


	43. Chapter 34: A Bout With A Louse!

_Uploaded July 24__th__, 2012_

Everyone gasped (except Jest I, who still couldn't hear me). "What!" Jest IV shouted. "How dare you? You can't-"

"Ah, but he can!" Bane interrupted, standing up beside me. He walked up to the front, grabbed a podium and placed the enormous wedding vow papers on it, and cleared his throat. "According to Section 7, Subsection 6, paragraph 5, on page 432, line 1, 'in the event a male wishes to challenge the groom for his bride, they must object to the wedding, during the service, formally challenge the groom, declare a type of challenge, and then the groom must choose the time and place of the challenge'."

Everyone was shocked; well, everyone but Bane, Alysson's family, and I, of course. "But… but… but…" Jest IV stuttered. "Father, is this true?"

Jest III was reading through his own copy of the contract. "…I'm afraid so, my son," he answered in distaste. "I believe that was the line your great grandfather put in," he continued, referring to Jest I.

"Grandfather!" Jest IV shouted. "How could you?"

Jest I snorted loudly. "I'm up! I'm up!" he shouted.

"…Okay, I'm starting to see, now," Jest IV said with a sigh. "Alright, now what exactly is a 'formal challenge'?" he asked Bane in reference to the loophole.

Bane went to sit down and I came up to join Jest IV, Alysson, and the parson. "May I see your glove a moment?" I asked. He raised an eyebrow, but handed it to me, all the same. I took it, pulled my hand back and slapped him loudly with his own glove, creating many loud gasps from the assemblage. "That," I said, offering it back. "Is a formal challenge."

Jest IV stood in bewilderment for a moment, then angrily took back his glove. He then slapped me with it, gaining further gasps from the crowd. I calmly turned back to him, with little expression on my face; honestly? I was expecting that. "Very well!" Jest almost shouted. "The place shall be the courtyard just outside, and the time shall be now! If that will work for the kind of challenge you've chosen," he added.

I nodded solemnly. "It will," I replied.

"By the way, exactly what challenge is this?" he asked with a look of genuine curiosity, despite the circumstances. "Archery? A horse race? A dance-off?"

I smirked at him. "A pokemon battle." The crowd gasped and Jest smirked back.

"Excellent!" he shouted, preparing to go outside. "Vindel, fetch me my three favorite pokemon, will you?" A man in a suit, whom I assumed to be a butler, gave a half-bow and went to get his pokemon.

Alysson approached me. ""Umm, are you sure about this?" she asked me. "He is a very good pokemon battler."

"Please, it's in the bag… How good?" I asked, watching the Jest's, who were talking to each other.

"Well, according to a half-dozen trophies, he's the best in all of western Kenewyore." My knees got weak. "Good luck, though!"

Once all was prepared and Bane gave me a pep talk, (C'mon, be a man!) we stood at opposite ends of the battlefield, Jest with a pokeball in hand and a confident smirk, and I with my hands twitching by my belt and a visage of deep determination. "Are you ready, urchin?" Jest shouted to me.

I silently nodded and pulled out my pokeball. The referee who was called in for the match raised both flags. "The winner of this match shall be awarded the hand of the maiden, Alysson."

Over on the sidelines Alysson sat on a throne-like chair with a bodyguard on either side. "I still say this is discrimination!" she shouted indignantly.

The ref looked to each of us. "Let the match," he lowered both flags quickly. "Begin!"

I called out Shellder and Jest called a Uniant. A Uniant is a pure bug-type that's the size of a shoe, with a green body with four segments, six legs, two lightning-shaped antennae, pincers for a mouth, a strange symbol on its third segment back and blue eyes. And, the oddest thing about Uniant is that it's a colony pokemon so, the pokeball can hold the entire colony, up to fifty Uniants! The Uniants, since they function like a hive mind, have been deemed one pokemon, even up to the fifty-Uniant colony. Jest's colony had seven Uniants, so it didn't look like the toughest, but still…

"Uniant, use bug bite!" Jest opened. The small colony rushed at Shellder, pincers ready to strike.

"Shellder, rapid spin!" I countered. Shellder spun at a great speed and the Uniants held back for fear of being knocked aside.

"Uniant, use signal beam to try and stop it!" The Uniant all shot signal beams that collided into a larger, more powerful signal beam. The beam stopped Shellder's spin and did some heavy damage. "Now, attack order!"

The Uniant ganged up on Shellder and started pummeling the shellfish-pokemon. "Shellder!" I shouted. "Use rapid spin to throw them off!" Shellder spun wildly, but the annoying bugs held on tight. By the time Shellder stopped the spin, only two had been thrown off, and they just jumped right back on!

"Now, Uniant, use bug bite, once more!" The Uniant colony bit Shellder and knocked the poor water-type out. "Ha!" Jest shouted.

The referee raised the green flag that was on Jest's side. "One point to Jest IV!" he shouted, the audience cheering, besides Alysson's family and Bane. "Challenger, please replace your pokemon."

I returned Shellder. "Good job," I whispered to him. Then I put it on my belt and grabbed my second pokemon. "Go, Karryash!" With the release of my pokeball came the crimson-red fire-bird we all know and love. "Use ember!"

Karryash spewed embers at the bugs. "Scatter and use bug bite!" Jest countered. The Uniant dodged Karryash's ember spastically and some crawled up to Karryash and bit him! This soon became very annoying and Karryash started pecking at them angrily. After a few more bites, Karryash could take no more. He flew away from the bugs and used gust, blowing away the bugs and KOing the whole colony! "Uniant!" Jest shouted in shock. He returned his pokemon and glared at me.

The ref raised the red flag on my side. "Uniant is unable to battle, one point to the challenger." Alysson's family clapped, while Bane and her cheered and hollered.

Jest IV then pulled out his second pokeball. "Ledyba, make your grand entrance!" With that, he released a Ledyba that flitted around the field at a great speed. "Ledyba, agility!" Ledyba started flying even quicker. "Now, use silver wind!" Ledyba loosed a powerful gust of silvery wind from its wings, hitting Karryash head-on. Then Ledyba flexed and shouted for some reason. "Ahh, that was the effect of silver wind kicking in," Jest explained smugly. "All of its stats have just been raised!"

_Not good,_ I thought to myself. _Not only does he have a super-speedy pokemon, he has a buffed up, super-speedy pokemon!_ "Karryash, use gust to knock him down!" I commanded. If I could get Ledyba out of the air, I could deal with it much more easily. Karryash tried to hit Ledyba with gust, but he was just too fast.

Jest gave an annoying laugh. "Chasing me like a pathetic little insect, are you? Hahahahaha!" Ledyba stopped and glared at him. "No offence, it's a figure of speech." Ledyba nodded and started flying around again. "Now, use thunderpunch to finish the bird!" Ledyba sped up to Karryash and hit him with a thunder-charged fist, knocking him into the other wall, my second pokemon to be knocked out.

"WHY!" I heard Alysson shout very dramatically. "WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY!"

The referee raised Jest's flag. "Two points for Jest IV!" At this, the crowd cheered once more. "According to sources, the challenger has no more pokemon, so-"

"Hold it!" I interrupted. "Who said I'm out of pokemon?"

Jest smirked. "While preparing for our wedding, Alysson was bragging about you and the other boy," he explained. "And she said you had two pokemon, and he had three, so, I win! Hahahahaha!"

I pulled out my third pokeball and his laughter slowed. Then I released my new Shiekire. His laughter turned into more of a groaning hee-haw. "Shiekire," I started. "Let's teach this guy some manners. Wing attack!" I barely saw what happened next; Shiekire hit Ledyba before I could even blink.

"Whoa!" Bane shouted from the audience. "That thing is fast!"

I smirked as Jest returned his KOed Ledyba. "I am not done, yet!" he declared as he got his last pokeball. "Storm, you aren't half-bad for a trainer who only has two badges, but you are no match for me!" He released his final pokemon, the evolved form of Uniant, Termiant.

Termiant is pretty similar to Uniant, the main differences being as follows: It has longer pincers, it is twice its previous size, it has a different symbol on its third body segment, its legs are longer and sharper, and its antennae are more jagged. Oh, and it isn't a colony pokemon; it actually evolves from Uniant once there are at least 30 Uniants in the colony, then it unifies them during the evolution process, into Termiant.

"Termiant!" Jest shouted angrily. "Fly to that bat and use slash!" Suddenly, Termiant grew nearly invisible wings and flew toward Shiekire at hyper speeds.

"Shiekire, dodge!" Shiekire quickly dodged and a chase began around the courtyard. "Okay, think Storm: what attacks does a Shiekire know?"

"Wow!" I looked to the audience to see Bane standing up. "Those pokemon are fast!" People were hushing him and telling him to sit down, but he just waved them off. "What? I'm just saying that they're flying at supersonic speeds." Just then, I realized what Bane was doing and turned back to the battle. Termiant was closing in on Shiekire.

"Shiekire, supersonic!" I shouted. My little cloth-coated bat turned and stopped, forcing Termiant to do the same or slam into him. Then its eye glowed bright and ominous.

"Sheeeee," Shiekire began slowly. Just as Termiant raised its claw to slash, Shiekire let loose! "_KIIIIIIIIIIIII!_" The sound was so deafeningly horrible that everyone had to cover their ears. Unfortunately, claws don't do that very well, so Termiant got the full brunt of it.

As it floated dizzily, I decided to use a move I recalled reading from some of my dad's research. "Shiekire, use night slash!" Shiekire's wing turned a ghostly black and it slashed Termiant knocking the bug to the ground and finishing the match.

The audience sat in repressed silence as Shiekire returned to me and perched upon my shoulder. After what I swear was twenty minutes, they applauded and the referee lifted my flag. "Jest's final pokemon has been defeated," he announced. "The winner of this match, and the hand of the maiden, Alysson, is Storm!"

Alysson ran over and hugged me. "I knew you would win!" she shouted in pure joy. "Thank you!"

Alysson's parents and Bane joined us. "Well," Bane started with a smirk. "When's the happy day?"

Alysson glared at him and let me go. "March 7th, 2014," she answered. "It's not for two more years, so I might meet someone I do want to set up a marriage with by then."

Her mother and father nodded in approval. "That is a wise decision, my girl," her father said.

Then her mother pulled out a small box with ribbon wrapped around it. "What's this?" Alysson asked her.

"Well, it was a wedding gift," her mother replied. "But I'm more than happy to give it to you for an engagement present."

Alysson took the box and opened it. Inside was a great ball! Having déjà vu again? Alysson took out the ball and tossed it up, releasing a Woobat! The small, blue bat flitted a bit, then settled on Alysson's shoulder like Shiekire had done with me. Speaking of which, I noticed my little bat taking interest in the new pokemon as it peeked around my head to get a better look. Once it noticed that I had seen what it was doing, it folded its wings, to cover its eye. I chuckled and returned him as Alysson returned her new Woobat.

"Thanks, mom! Thanks, dad!" she thanked them, giving each one a hug in turn.

Her parents' eyes were watering. "Alysson," her father started. "Though I'd rather you settle down and prepare for your future… I'll permit you to go on your adventure."

Alysson's eyes lit up. "Really? You mean, you're okay with it?"

Her father nodded, looking at Bane and I. "Well, you're obviously in capable hands. Go on." Alysson hugged her parents one last time, then we went to the center and healed our pokemon. After that, we went on, to Route 13!

As we reached Route 13, we got the feeling that someone was watching us. "Hey guys," Bane started, glancing around. "You ever get the feeling you're being watched?"

Alysson nodded. "Yeah. When we first came here, remember? I was looking all around."

"Watching out for Jest?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "No, it was something else." But she didn't go on, because we were interrupted by a large man in uniform who blocked our path. "Oh, shoot."

Then Jests number three and four approached us from behind. "My dear, sweet Alysson!" Jest IV proclaimed, causing us to turn to see him and his father, who held the contract. "Fear not, for I have found another loophole!"

Alysson groaned loudly. "Oh, come on!" she shouted. "When are you going to get that I don't want to marry you!"

"When Grumpigs fly!" Jest III shouted, leafing through the contract. "Now, according to page 274…" As he talked I did something without his notice. "And, Alysson must wed Jest, today!"

Alysson and I turned to Bane for an answer. "Hmm, I'm afraid he's right. That's a tough cookie. Especially the part where we need a snowman who can fetch."

We all stared at him with absolutely no idea what he was talking about. When Bane discretely nudged me, I realized that he was giving me an opportunity for my plan, so I went for it. "Ember!" I shouted. With great speed, Karryash jumped out from behind me and shot embers at the wedding contract catching it and Jest III's hand on fire!

"YAH! OW, OW, OW!" he screamed, dropping the paper as it burned to ashes. "How- how dare you!" he screamed in anger. "You shall pay!" With that, he called out a Scyther, followed by his son's Termiant.

Bane called out Anorith and Karryash stepped up to join him. Just as we were about to start though, something interrupted us. Suddenly, an Escavalier and Yanmega jumped into the fray. We looked to see the first and second Jests interrupting. "Yanmega, steady now," Jest I said, clarifying whose was whose.

Alysson added her new Woobat to try to balance the teams. "We need one more!" Alysson announced. None of us could use two pokemon, because we'd have to divide our attention between the two.

"I'll help." We turned behind us to see a person wearing a black t-shirt, jeans, white tennis shoes, and a tan cowboy hat that covered his face, except for his mouth and chin. He threw a pokeball into the air and released a Lampent.

We didn't really know who this was, but we did need help, so we decided not to argue. Thus, the battle was begun!

**Sorry I'm late, but I have exciting news! I WAS ACTUALLY INTERVIEWED! AND ABOUT THIS STORY! YAHOO!**

**Bane: What the Heracross! And where was I when this happened?**

**Attempting to take over Switzerland. And failing, might I add.**

**Bane: …Who interviewed you?**

**The fantastic author, Shadow62123!**

**Bane: Oh yeah, he writes that crazy KH stuff. Heh, he's cool.**

**Yep. He interviewed me on chapter 7 of the story "The Daily Show With Ventus". Check it out, because I gave him an EXCLUSIVE on what's in my writing future! And check out his other stuff while you're there!**

**Bane: Ok, that about does it. In the meantime, live well and prosper!**

…**You really just did that?**


	44. Pokefile: Uniant & Termiant

Uniant _(yoon-yant)_ – the Multiplying Ant Pokemon

A Basic Pokemon. Evolves into Termiant after leveling up once there are at least 30 Uniants in its colony.

Bug-type

An ant pokemon with unusual skills.

Length: 1'0"

Weight: 2lb.

Description: A small, green ant with unusual markings on its back, that always works in a community, whether it wants to or not. It has four body segments, six legs, two lightning-shaped antennae, and blue eyes. It is a very unusual pokemon in that it multiplies whenever it defeats certain pokemon, and when the multiple ants link together, they form a larger, centipede-like pokemon; this allows it to use many, unusual attacks. The way that it multiplies is as follows: if it defeats a psychic-type pokemon, it multiplies to add one more Uniant to its colony; if it defeats another bug-type pokemon, it multiplies to add two more to its colony; if it defeats a flying-type pokemon, it multiplies to double the number of Uniants in its colony. When it evolves, the entire colony unifies into one, larger, Termiant.

Termiant _(term-yint)_ – the Unified Pokemon

A First-Stage Pokemon. Evolves from Uniant after leveling up once there are at least 30 Uniants in its colony.

Bug/Flying dual-type

A termite pokemon.

Length: 2'2"

Weight: 4.5lb.

Description: Like its pre-evolution, it's green, has four body segments and six legs, and a strange symbol on its back. However, its antennae are more jagged, its legs are pointed and sharper and its pincers are longer. It also has the tendency to eat materials houses are made of, and is often the cause of many damage reports by contractors. It also has retractable wings that can fly up to 45 mph.

**There ya go! The bugs of Jest IV!**

**Bane: Ya'know, they really bug me.**


	45. Chapter 35: A Jester's Fight!

_Uploaded August 13__th__, 2012_

Jest II made the first move. "Escavalier, use swipe!" Escavalier moved to hit Karryash, but pulled out and tackled it from the side at the last second.

"False swipe," Bane told me. "He basically used it to fake you out, then sideswipe you."

I nodded in thanks. "Thanks, he won't get away with it again. Karryash, ember on Escavalier!" Karryash started toward Escavalier.

"Scyther, knock it aside with knock off!" Jest III countered. Scyther glided at Karryash and slashed it, knocking it out of the way. "Now, fury swipes!" Scyther went after Karryash.

"Fleetfoot, Karryash!" I guided. Karryash ran from the swinging insect as the battle continued.

Then the youngest, and, in my opinion, most annoying, Jest joined the battle. "Termiant, get the fossil bug! Use bug bite!" Termiant skittered to Anorith.

"Anorith, cross poison!" Bane countered. Anorith's claws purpled and it slashed, but Termiant jumped back just in time. This continued with Anorith going after Termiant as the termite-bug jumped backward to escape it.

"Woobat, help Karryash out with confusion!" Alysson jumped in. Woobat used confusion to lift Karryash into the sky and away from Scyther. "Storm, now's your chance!"

I quickly got back into action. "Karryash, aerial ember!" Karryash shot off a barrage of embers at Scyther, doing some decent damage. "Nice job."

"Yanmega!" the eldest Jest shouted, joining the fight. "Bug buzz, directed at… Whatever that blueish pokemon is," he finished, meaning Lampent.

Yanmega's wings buzzed giving off some mild annoyance to everyone around him. "Will you stop that, father?" Jest II shouted over the noise. "It was bad enough when we were children, use some other attack."

Jest I slapped his son. "I will not! This attack got me through the Silver Conference. Why, back then, I- Yanmega, wake up!" Yanmega had fallen asleep, due to its own buzzing noises lulling it to sleep.

"…Wow," Bane commented. "That is… not normal."

The mystery kid shrugged. "I've seen weirder. Should I attack now?"

"Whenever you feel like it," I replied, guiding Karryash away from Scyther's claws. "Use ember to push him back!" Karryash turned from running and shot ember, only to have Scyther dodge and slash him from the back.

"Excellent, Scyther!" Jest III congratulated his pokemon. "Now, finish it with X-scissor!" Scyther raised a scythe-like claw and prepared to slash.

"Lampent!" the mystery man shouted, making his first move. "Acid armor guard!" Lampent jumped in front of Karryash and attained a misty, silvery aura. When Scyther's claw hit, it did little to no visible damage. "Now, flamethrower!" Lampent shot a line of fire directly at Scyther's abdomen, knocking the giant bug out of commission.

"Scyther!" Jest III shouted. He returned Scyther and prepared to call out another pokemon. Then Jest I stopped him.

"My grandson," he started. "This is a match of honour. Let it be fought as such. Yanmega, solarbeam!" Yanmega started absorbing sunlight to charge his attack.

"Karryash, stop Yanmega before he completes the attack!" I commanded. Karryash flew at Yanmega, but was stopped by Escavalier.

"Escavalier!" Jest II shouted. "Use iron head!" Escavalier slammed into Karryash with a powerful iron headbutt. "Now, poison jab!" Escavalier's lance-like arms turned purpleish and he stabbed them at Karryash, doing terrible damage and taking him and me out of the fight.

I returned Karryash with a short word of thanks as the battle went on. "Termiant!" Jest IV suddenly screamed. "Use protect!" Termiant, who was still being chased by Anorith, suddenly stopped and put up a green barrier which blocked Anorith's cross poison. "Now, use vicegrip!" Termiant's wall disappeared and it bit Anorith's claw, hard.

"Anorith!" Bane shouted. "Shake it off with struggle bug!" Anorith struggled hard against Termiant's grip, but didn't seem to be getting anywhere.

"Woobat, try to help Anorith!" Alysson ordered. Woobat rushed at Termiant.

"Escavalier!" Jest II interrupted once more. Anyone else get the feeling that he's the battler of the family? "Block with iron defense!" Escavalier rushed to block Woobat.

"I don't think so," the mystery kid muttered. "Lampent!" Without another word, Lampent shot a shadow ball attack at Escavalier, knocking him out of the way and allowing Woobat to slam into Termiant and free Anorith from its grip.

"Now, Yanmega!" Jest I shouted, reminding me that he was charging a solarbeam that I failed to stop. Yanmega shot a powerful solarbeam, hitting Anorith and launching the bug skyward.

"Woobat, use heart stamp!" Alysson stepped in. Woobat shot a heart shaped bubble at Yanmega. The bubble didn't appear dangerous until it hit, then it sent Yanmega to the ground, KOed.

"Escavalier, get Woobat with X-scissor!" Jest II shouted, once more making himself prominent. Escavalier shot off at Woobat.

"Lampent, stop him at all costs," our friendly helper ordered firmly.

Lampent rushed and grabbed Escavalier with its curled arms. Its eyes then glowed a bright, deep blue and it fell to the ground, limp. As the kid returned Lampent, Escavalier renewed his attack on Woobat, then struck with X-scissor. However, Escavalier's attack did next to no damage. "What!?" Jest II shouted in shock. "How can this be? Escavalier is one of the most formidable pokemon in the world!"

"Exactly," the kid with a cowboy hat replied. "I knew your Escavalier was the biggest threat, so I had to weaken it, at all costs. Lampent used memento on Escavalier, which, although it makes Lampent faint, dramatically lowers your pokemon's attack stats." He smirked. "Good strategy, don't you think?"

Jest II fumed. "Escavalier, use swords dance!" Escavalier sharpened his lances.

"Oh no you don't!" Alysson jumped in. "Woobat, stop him! Use air cutter!" Woobat slashed its wings through the air, creating a slash of energy that hit Escavalier, knocking it out, as well.

The only pokemon left on the field were Alysson's Woobat and Jest IV's Termiant. "Well, well," Jest began. "Just you and me, my dear Alysson. As it shall be for the rest of our lives!"

"Oh, can it, you pest!" Alysson had reached her breaking point. "I will not now, or ever, be married to you! Woobat, use air cutter!" Woobat once more launched a sharp blast of wind at the bug.

"Oh, but you shall! Termiant, use protect!" Termiant blocked the wind with a green barrier. "Now, use vicegrip!" Termiant leaped at Woobat and bit its wings, causing major damage and grounding the bat. "Hahahahahahahaha! Excellently done, my pet!" Jest gloated.

"Woobat!" Alysson shouted.

"Oh, soon," Jest began. "Soon we shall be wed! Soon you and I shall stand at the altar and declare our vows of eternal love for one-another!" Then he did a spin. "And on that glorious day, we shall-" Then Anorith fell from the sky, onto Termiant, knocking both of them unconscious. "…"

All was silent; not a person spoke. "…What the jumping Wobbuffet just happened?" Jest IV asked in shock.

Bane shrugged. "An Anorith fell from the sky, duh." Then Bane returned Anorith and Alysson returned Woobat.

"No!" Jest IV shouted suddenly. "I won't accept this!" Then he and Jest III and Jest II were about to release more pokemon. However, a Scizor suddenly stood before them.

"That is enough!" Jest I declared. "This was a battle of honour; one last chance to redeem yourself in the eyes of your beloved. However, I see now that you do not truly love her."

Jest IV was taken aback. "Of course I do! Would I have gone through all this stress and trial for naught but love?"

Jest I shook his head in disapproval. "You did those things to satisfy yourself; to give yourself a bride. If you loved her, you would give her what is best for her: her freedom. But, instead!" Now Jest I was fuming. "You force her into marriage! Then, when she states a refusal, you ignore her wishes! Then, when you are bested by another for her hand, you shamefully return for her! I came to ensure an honourable battle was fought, but, clearly, you have no honour within you, Jest!"

The youngest Jest was clearly hurt by his great grandfather's words. "But… Grandfather…"

The eldest Jest had his Scizor escort his progenies back to the town, then turned to us with an apologetic look. "I apologize for my children's behavior. Believe me when I say it shan't happen again."

Alysson nodded in thanks. "Thank you, sir." The oldest Jest nodded back and left, followed by the man in uniform. Then Alysson turned to us. "Thanks, all of you," she thanked us. Then she turned to the mystery boy who had offered to help us. "And, thanks, umm…"

The boy shook his head. He looked about our age, but it was difficult to tell, being unable to see his eyes. "No thanks necessary," he told her. "Just passing through, saw a battle and wanted a part of it. And as for my name, just call me… Ron." And with that, 'Ron' gave a tip of his hat and went past us, on to Comington.

"…Well, I hope leaving a town is never that eventful again," Bane commented. We all shared a laugh and went out of Comington, and on to the next town.

**Wow! Man, has it been a while since I posted anything!**

**Bane: Yeah, where were you, anyway?**

**DISNEY WORLD!**

**Bane: …You're lucky.**

**No, I'm very blessed. EVEREST ROCKS! …Moving on, that's the reason I haven't been posting for a couple of weeks. But now, you were able to see the conclusion of the Jest battle!**

**Bane: Yup. Good for you people. In other news, I'm getting closer to breaking the fifth wall! Soon Sweden, and all of their five-star grade weaponry and bombing mercury dolphins, will be mine! Muahahahahahahahaha!**

…**Again, moving on. I'll try to keep my posting regular, but I am heading for college soon! So, until next time, arrivederci! **

**Bane: That means 'be well, and eat properly!'**

…**Umm, wow…**


	46. Chapter 36: La Deuxième Danse

_Uploaded August 20__th__, 2012_

**FIRST DAY OF COLLEGE IS GOING SWELL! ENJOY THIS CHAPTER! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**

**Bane: …You had more candy again, didn't you?**

…**..JREBF%^ty%gt%$yghtbBGFHG29847RYF8G4BU2EFCN EFINFLMG39$ tg%#rg$!?**

We walked down Route 13 and soon came upon an unusual sight (well, relatively unusual). We saw a big top (large circus tent) to the side of the road. "Well, that looks odd," Bane commented as we approached it. "Waddaya think's going on?"

"Not sure," Alysson replied. "You wanna check it out?"

"Not really," I commented with a chill going down my spine. "I have a bad feeling about this place."

"Oh, chill out," Bane told me, opening the flaps to the tent. "There's nothing- Oh my Goldeen!"

"What!?" Alysson and I shouted in unison.

"They have a hot dog vendor!" Bane said, running in to get a hot dog. After Alysson sighed and I facepalmed, we went in. It was a pretty simple place: trapeze swings, dirt ground, some seating for an audience, and, of course, a hot dog vendor, which Bane was currently at, talking to a man behind the cart whose back was turned to Bane. "Hey, dude!" Bane shouted to the man. "One hot dog, with the works, por favor."

The man chuckled. "Ah, yes," he replied in a nearly perfect Italian accent. "One hot dog, with the works, coming right up."

His accent was definitely fake. I have an Italian uncle, aunt, three cousins, and a dog, who have Italian accents, and that guy's was fake with a capital F. "His accent is fake," I muttered to Alysson.

Alysson turned to me slightly. "Are you sure? It sounds real," she whispered back.

"So," the fake Italian started. "What are the names of-a my lucky customers?" _Of-a? Yep, it's fake_, I told myself.

"I'm Storm, he's Bane, she's Alysson," I told him. He shuttered suddenly.

"My, my. You don't say?" he asked, slipping out of his accent. He composed himself quickly and gave a cough. "So, what brings three young trainers such as yourselves to my big top?"

"_Your_ big top?" Bane asked. "Isn't the ringmaster usually the owner?"

The man nodded, his back still turned to us. "Yes, but, you see, I am the ringmaster of this little... show," he finished with a chuckle.

"But, why would a ringmaster be running a hot dog stand?" I asked him, growing suspicious.

"Because," he replied slipping out of his accent, into a familiar voice. "It's the only way I can hide from the police, whom three annoying brats sent after me!" Suddenly, he kicked the cart at us, forcing us to throw ourselves out of the way. When we turned back we saw none other than The Phantom! He was in a similar outfit to last time, except that it was red, instead of green, and he wore not a fedora, but a matching, red, top hat.

"The Phantom!" Bane and I shouted, tossing our pokeballs out and releasing Karryash, Shiekire, Porygon, and Anorith. Alysson reached for a pokeball, but her hand was grabbed by a familiar yellow vine and brought up above her head, followed shortly by the other hand.

"Hey!" Alysson shouted as she was pulled up to the trapeze by Ferrocious, the shiny Ferrothorn. "Put me down! ...The right way, this time!"

The Phantom laughed. "Oh, but I shan't!" he said. "This time, you and your little snake won't get in my way." Karryash and Porygon started at The Phantom. "Slasher, come out and play!"

Without warning, a shiny Sandslash emerged from the ground and slashed Karryash, forcing him back. Porygon retreated to avoid a similar fate. Then a shiny Magnezone slowly floated down from the top of the tent. "Zone," The Phantom called, revealing his fifth pokemon's nickname. "Magnet bomb! And aim for the turkey."

Zone shot a silver orb at Porygon, slamming him into the wall. "Porygon!" Bane shouted. "We'll show him who the turkey is. Hit him back with flash cannon!"

"Z, interception!" Suddenly Z, The Phantom's Porygon-Z, flew out of nowhere and shot a zap cannon, imploding Porygon's flash cannon. "Now, fire!" Then Z shot several zap cannons at Porygon.

"Porygon, bob and weave!" Bane commanded.

As Porygon dodged the raining electric orbs, I decided to make my move. "Karryash, ember at Ferrothorn! Try to get Alysson down! Shiekire, night slash on Sandslash!" My pokemon flew to their targets.

"Ferrocious, use shadow claw to knock it away. Slasher, dig to dodge," The Phantom ordered calmly and confidently. Ferrocious knocked Karryash aside with a purple-aura covered claw (to clarify, the claw is the metal part that's at the end of its vine), and Sandslash dug underground, successfully avoiding Shiekire's attack. "Now, Slasher! Rise!" Then Sandslash jumped up and slashed Shiekire, grounding my bat.

"Shiekire!" I shouted. Then my attention was turned to Bane's fight as I saw Porygon fall by a zap cannon.

"Porygon!" Bane shouted. "Anorith, get in there with cross poison!" Anorith slashed at Zone, but the attack bounced off of the metal magnet-monster.

The Phantom chuckled. "My, my, my." The Phantom shook his head. "You just won't give up, will you? Zone, fry the firebird, and Slasher, knock the bug aside." With those commands, Zone fired an electro ball at Karryash, frying it and knocking it out of the sky. Immediately after that, Slasher slashed Anorith, tossing it up to the top of the tent.

Then Bane and I got worried. We reached for our remaining pokeballs, but were stopped by The Phantom. "Hold it!" he shouted. "You wouldn't want anything to happen to your pokemon, would you?" Behind him, his purple Gatechomp stood before Karryash and Porygon who were being held by Slasher and Z. Bane and I lowered our hands, conceding. The Phantom gave a mad cackle.

"Yes!" he shouted. "My vengeance is at hand! Ahahahaha!" As he shouted like a madman, I looked at Karryash, and he looked at me. A single tear rolled down its cheek. "And now you shall pay for sending me into hiding! Zone!" His Magnezone floated before him. "Electro ball!"

We braced ourselves as Magnezone readied a yellow sphere of electricity. I shut my eyes and prepared for the blast, but suddenly heard a shrill caw an opened my eyes to see Magnezone being torched by a powerful flamethrower! I looked and saw that the flamethrower came from a red bird pokemon.

"…Karry-…No, Furyash?" I asked what might have been my newly evolved firebird. Furyash looked at me and gave a warm smile as I felt a familiar wave of warmth. I gave him a broad smile as I looked over my newly evolved pokemon. It was a crimson red, as before, but was very different in shape. It had a long, slender neck, two feathers lying on its head – which was now smaller than its body – as opposed to the one of Karryash, a whopping three-foot wingspan, and two, long tail feathers which trailed below its feet. Oh, it was also now about three-feet tall.

"No!" The Phantom shouted, enraged. "I won't stand for this! Gateguard, tear that polygon to pieces!" Gateguard opened its massive maw.

"Furyash, stop it!" Furyash flew with amazing speed and rammed into Gateguard, body ablaze. Gateguard was knocked back and Furyash flew, ready for more. "Now, flamethrower!" Furyash loosed a blazing stream of fire on Gateguard, making the giant gator-pokemon shout in pain.

"No! Gateguard!" The Phantom shouted, freaking out. "Slasher, stop that pokemon!" Slasher leaped at Furyash, ready to slash him, but it was suddenly tackled by Porygon, who looked recharged and ready to go!

Bane chuckled. "After That fight with Gulka where Porygon nearly fainted, I had it learn recover," he explained. "Now, show off with a flash barrage!" Porygon prepared his silver sphere.

"Not so fast!" The Phantom shouted with a mad smirk. "I've taken a leaf from your book, boy! Z, use zap barrage!" Then his Z started preparing a yellowish sphere, similar to Porygon's.

"You rotten piece of garbage!" Bane shouted. "Under no circumstances do you steal my move! Porygon fire at will!" Porygon loosed his cannons.

"Z, release your rage!" The Phantom countered. Z released its orbs of energy. The two attacks clashed in the middle and a huge explosion blasted smoke that covered the area.

"Storm!" Bane shouted to me. "Have Furyash use flamethrower into the smoke! Don't worry, I've got us covered!"

I put my trust in him and shouted, "Furyash, you heard him!"

I heard The Phantom's voice for just a moment. "Now wait just a darn minute-"

Boom. Just boom. There was a deafening explosion from Karryash's flames colliding with the smoke from the Porygons' attacks. Surprisingly, though, I didn't feel blown up. You'd think that after getting blown up, you'd feel blown up, but I didn't. The reason became clear as the smoke cleared, though; Bane had told Porygon to use a light screen to protect us from the blast. Phantom, and his pokemon, however…

The Phantom and his pokemon lay, weak and burnt, on the ground. "Ugh…" The Phantom groaned. "My, my, my, my, my, my, my," The Phantom muttered dizzily. "What happened?" As he got up, he saw his pokemon lying about. "What? NO!" He jumped up, looking nervous. "NO! My precious pokemon! Are they all defeated?"

"Ferrrrr…" we heard from above. Apparently, Ferrocious was high enough to miss the explosion. "M_aa_aa_aa_aa_aagg_…" And also Zone.

"Ferrocious! Zone!" The Phantom shouted in relief.

"And me!" Alysson shouted, still hanging from Ferrothorn's vines. "I'm still up here, ya'know!"

"Well, I can solve that," The Phantom said wickedly, as I felt a terrible sense of déjà vu. "Ferrocious?"

Ferrocious released Alysson and she plummeted downward. "Why!?" she shouted as she fell. "Why twice? Why me!?"

But before Porygon could save her like last time, he was knocked aside by an electro ball, courtesy of Zone. "Furyash, catch her!" I shouted. Furyash flew at top speed, but he wasn't going fast enough; she was going to hit the ground, and…

But, out of nowhere, something leaped through the side of the tent and caught Alysson, saving her from… well, let's call it a splat, to lighten it a bit. The heroic pokemon put Alysson down and stood facing the Phantom with raised fists and springy legs.

"Whoa," Bane commented after the fighting-type's feet of heroics. "Awesome."

The pokemon looked over its shoulder at me and tossed something my way. I caught it with closed hands, then opened them to see an Oran Berry. I thought for a moment, then remembered my first battle after I left home, back on Route 8. "…You're the Tyrogue I met, aren't you? The one from Route 8?" The pokemon nodded.

"How dare you interrupt my revenge!?" The Phantom shouted, enraged. "Ferrocious! Use power whip on that interloper!" Ferrocious drew back a vine and threw it at the fighting-type. However, it caught it with its hand and pulled Ferrocious to it, then gave it a powerful mega kick, knocking it to the far end of the tent. "What!?" The Phantom shouted in a mixture of fear and shock.

"Whoa," was all I said as Hitmonlee prepared a fighting stance against The Phantom.

**Yes, yes, it's another cliff-hanger. Don't bug out; it'll only last until Friday.**

**Bane: So you say…**

…**Something wrong?**

**Bane: HECK YEAH! I've been trying to break through the Fifth Wall FOR. EV. ER. How the heck will I ever find… *cue evil smirk* Gotta go! *Bane runs through a portal to who-knows-where***

…**Okay, even I don't know what that was about. So, see you all on Friday!**


	47. Pokefile: Furyash!

**Yes, I decided to make a new file just for Furyash (though its not my best). Enjoy the details, people!**

Furyash - the Fire Hawk Pokemon

A first-stage Pokemon. Evolves from Karryash at level 24. Has a mythical (possible) evolution at a higher level.

Flying/Fire-type Pokemon

Large fire bird.

Height: 3ft. 4in.

Weight: 19.5lb.

Wingspan: 3ft

Description: Small, agile, cocky. Loves to race. Has skinny legs and powerful wings. Feathery, has two feathers laying back on its head, and three long tail feathers, like streamers in the wind. Small beak that hasn't grown in evolving.

Habitats include places with tropical climate and volcanic areas.

Normal color: Crimson Red with Yellow highlights on tail feathers.

Shiny color: Deep Gold with Blue highlights on tail feathers.

Did You Know?

~A Furyash cannot survive if body temperature goes below 70 F.

~Whenever multiple male Furyash are observed in captivity, it takes no more than twenty minutes for one to challenge another to see which can escape first.

**And, there you have it.**

**...**

**...Seriously, where did Bane run off to?**


	48. Chapter 37: La Danse de Fin

**And now, after a very long period of rest, the conclusion of the chapter that I gave a French name!**

Hitmonlee, Furyash, and Porygon stood/floated, ready to face off with the Phantom's last two pokemon. "Bah!" The Phantom shouted angrily. "A kickboxing sack? A polygon? And a slightly oversized cardinal? That's what you send against me?" The Phantom smiled cruelly. "Easy to dispose of. Ferrocious, pin missile at Porygon! Zone, tri-attack!" Ferrocious swiftly shot steel pins at Porygon, who dodged them agilely, and Zone shot three orbs of red, blue, and yellow at Furyash, who flew out of the way, and Hitmonlee, who somersaulted out of the way.

I was more than ready to counter. "Furyash, use-"

"Hold it!" I heard someone shout angrily. _Oh yeah, Alysson's down now, isn't she?_ I thought to myself with a smirk. "He's mine." Alysson pulled out her pokeballs and released Normlos and Llama – to this day, I don't get the nickname – the Gerbirfur. "Normlos, Llama, use hurricane bazooka!" Normlos mounted Llama as the little gerbil/bird thing bent its wings back and they let loose a mighty hurricane, knocking The Phantom's Ferrothorn out of the tent.

Zone rushed behind them for a sneak attack, but Hitmonlee knocked it out of the way with a powerful jump kick. "Nice hit, Hitmonlee," I congratulated the friendly fighting-type. The Hitmonlee looked back at me and nodded.

"No!" The Phantom shouted, enraged. "I can't lose again! Not again! This! Is! IMPOSSIBLE!" He thrashed around in a rage (or a tantrum, either works).

Alysson stormed toward him, but he backed away. Before we could do anything, The Phantom's Magnezone used flash, blinding us. By the time we could see, The Phantom and all of his pokemon were gone. "Again?" Alysson asked with exasperation. She sighed.

***We returned our pokemon, except for Furyash, Porygon, and Normlos. Then the Hitmonlee walked over to us. "Thank you," Alysson thanked it. It nodded at her and turned to me.

We looked into each other's eyes for a long time, then I nodded at it, and it nodded at me. "We'll need to get to the next pokemon center, first." The Hitmonlee walked out of the tent, and we followed it. He went over to a tree and leaned against it, then closed its eyes, so we headed for the closest town, to heal our pokemon.

Once there, we handed our pokemon over to the nurse, and sat down to rest from our recent endeavors. After a small break, Bane asked me a question. "What was with you and that Hitmonlee?"

I looked up at the ceiling. "We agreed to a rematch," I explained. "Between him and Furyash."

Bane looked at me and tilted his head. "You agreed to a match by staring at each other?" he asked with disbelief. "That doesn't- ANORITH!" he suddenly shouted. "We forgot Anorith!"

**Back with Hitmonlee…**

The fighting-type was leaning against the trunk of a tree, waiting for its rematch. As it waited, it heard a scream and opened one eye. What it saw was a small pokemon falling from the sky, above the tent. Hitmonlee opened its other eye and calmly walked into the tent. It approached the center of the tent, and looked up, seeing a hole in the top of the tent. Shortly after, a small pokemon fell through the hole and Hitmonlee caught it. The shrimp-like pokemon blinked once and turned to look at its hero. "Thanks," the shrimp thanked him. "That was nice. I could've been squished… You want a waffle?"

Hitmonlee looked at Anorith with heavy confusion. "What?"

Anorith hopped down and looked up at the human-shape pokemon. "Well, being squished made me think of flatness, which made me think of pancakes, which made me think of breakfast, which made me think of food, which made me think of eggs, which are an ingredient in waffle batter, which made me hungry for waffles, and I didn't want to be rude, so I asked if you wanted any either."

"…I don't even know what to say to that," Hitmonlee said, then walked back to its tree to wait. Anorith followed it and stopped a foot or so away.

"I'm Bane's pokemon," it said semi-randomly.

Hitmonlee looked at it for a moment. "You're a trainer's pokemon?" he asked with no zeal. "Why?"

Anorith flipped onto its back. "Why not? Bane's nice; he gives me tacos."

"…Your master gives you tacos?" Anorith nodded. "I don't care; trainers treat pokemon like dirt. They use us, treat us like slaves, then when they're done, they throw us away, like garbage."

"Not Bane," Anorith defended cheerfully. "He's a good person; he always congratulates me when I win, and he even helped take care of a pokemon from an egg! It hatched and… well, it kinda acts like him."

As Anorith pondered this, Hitmonlee looked to the road and saw that the trainer it wanted to fight wasn't there yet. "Trainers aren't good. None of them are," it told Anorith. "Where's yours?"

Anorith shrugged and flipped right-side up. "He's coming. He probably forgot me because I flew through the roof and didn't come down… until you caught me. Thank, again!"

Hitmonlee shook its head and sighed, then it looked toward the town again and saw the black-haired trainer running back. _But where are the others?_ It thought as he ran over and scooped up Anorith with a smile. "Anorith!" he shouted. "You're okay! Thank goodness!"

As the trainer whom Hitmonlee assumed to be Bane hugged Anorith, Hitmonlee flinched, but wouldn't budge on it opinion. _Trainers are bad; that's all there is to it._ He noticed the other trainers coming and smirked… as much as a pokemon without a mouth could. _Though they are good for a battle._

**And now, we can go back to Storm's perspective.**

"So, you found Anorith?" I asked Bane as we approached him and Hitmonlee.

"Yup!" Bane replied happily. "He was talking to your sparring partner," Bane said, referring to Hitmonlee. Hitmonlee looked to Bane in response, but said nothing.

"Well, I guess we should get this underway, then, huh?" I asked Hitmonlee. It nodded and stood opposite me. I released Furyash, and it gently beat its wings while it stared down Hitmonlee. The fighting-type readied itself by hopping from one foot to the other, with its fists at the ready.

I decided to make the first move. "Furyash, use wing attack!" Furyash rushed to hit Lee, but the nimble pokemon dodged it by ducking. It quickly sprung up and launched its leg, stretching it to 3 times its length, and knocking Furyash for a loop. "Grr, Furyash, retaliate with flamethrower!" I shouted.

Furyash flapped its wings to steady itself, then shot a flaming blast at Hitmonlee, who ran with amazing speed in a circle around Furyash, avoiding my firebird's pursuing flamethrower. "Furyash, turnabout!" This strategy involves Furyash stopping in mid-fire, and turning the opposite direction, to catch the opponent off-guard. And that's what it did, catching Hitmonlee off-guard and doing some good damage.

Hitmonlee was not a pushover though, and stood firm against the attack. Then it did something unexpected; it launched a blaze kick through the flames and kicked Furyash. The attack didn't do much, but it did stop the flamethrower. Then it looked to be taking a deep breath and gaining focus. "That's focus energy," Bane explained. "It makes the pokemon able to land more critical hits."

"Thanks," I said, mostly focused on the battle. "Furyash, match that focus energy with an agility!" Furyash focused and flew through the air, gaining speed. Hitmonlee tried to hit it with a few double kicks, but it kept missing. "Now, use flying tackle!" Furyash swooped down and tackled Hitmonlee, knocking the wind out of it. "Now, wing attack!"

But as Furyash rushed at him, Hitmonlee countered very unusually. He spun on his head, similar to a break dance, and kept his legs spinning in a wide circle and keeping Furyash far out of range. Then Hitmonlee jumped up and delivered a swift kick to Furyash's chest, doing some bad damage. "Furyash!" I shouted. Hitmonlee seemed surprised by my sudden outburst, but didn't drop its guard.

"Furyash, use flamethrower!" Furyash shot a flamethrower at Hitmonlee, who prepared to block it with a blaze kick. "Quick, use wing attack!" Furyash stopped the fire stream and rushed at Hitmonlee with stretched wings, and hit him hard, knocking him down. Furyash flew back to my side as we waited to see what he would do. Hitmonlee leaned up and supported itself on one arm, and held his hand up with the other, signaling that it was done.

I smiled in relief and Furyash gave a strong battle cry. Hitmonlee closed its eyes and lifted its head toward the sky, enjoying the breeze after a hard battle. "Hey," I greeted it. It opened an eye and saw me sit down, cross-legged, in front of him. "You're a tough opponent, and those are some good strategies." Hitmonlee closed its eye again and relaxed itself. "Wish I had as good a fighting-type as you on my team."

My words brought Hitmonlee's attention fully onto me; not in shock, nor in fear, but simply in thought. We looked at each other again and said unspoken words. It was almost like we could read each other's minds. Then he sighed and leaned back farther. "Moooeen," he moaned. "Hit, mon-lee."

I smiled and got up, quickly followed by him. I reached in my pocket and pulled out a simple, red pokeball, and held it out to Hitmonlee. The master fighting-type reached out, hesitated, and pressed the button. It was taken into the ball in a red light, then the pokeball clicked. Then I released Hitmonlee and he crossed his arms and walked toward the town. I followed with Bane, Alysson and Furyash close behind.

Bane walked up to me and whispered, "What was that?"

I whispered back, "He agreed to join my team, as long as I gave him some good training." And with that, we headed into Pasturida Village (pastur as in pasture, and ida as in Idaho, for those who want to know the pronunciation). Once at the pokemon center, we had Furyash and Anorith healed up, but Hitmonlee seems to prefer a different way of healing. It went over and joined us at the table, then sat on said table and meditated.

"…Okay," Bane commented as the pokemon sat there with its eyes closed in deep concentration. "So, Alysson, if you would," Bane suggested. Alysson took the hint and got out her book.

"The Pasturida Gym Leader is… It doesn't say," she said in surprise.

"Waddaya mean, it doesn't say?" Bane asked, slightly annoyed.

Alysson was flipping through her book. "I can't find anything on the Gym Leader here. The only thing it even says about them is that there _is_ a Gym Leader here."

Bane groaned and I got up and went over to the TV. I flipped it on and saw that 'Gym Leaders Around The World!' was on again. This episode, however, seemed… special.

"Welcome, to all of you pokemon fans!" The reporter said very enthusiastically. "This is the biggest story we've ever covered! I mean, this is huge! Never have we had a bigger, more absolutely amazing-…" He listened to his earpiece. "…Sorry about that… We are here today, to bring you coverage on the announcement of the Pokemon World Tournament!"

At this point, Bane leaped into the seat beside me to watch. "The what?" he asked. "Did they just say-"

But the TV interrupted him. "Thanks, Jeff!" A young, female reporter said as the scene changed to an enormous construction site, behind her. "We are standing at the construction site of the Pokemon World Tournament Hall, near Driftveil City, in the Unova region. Here with me now is Cynthia, the champion of the Sinnoh region." She turned, and the camera panned, to the one and only champion of Sinnoh's Elite 4, Cynthia. "Cynthia, care to explain a bit about the tourney?"

Cynthia nodded and brushed her hair out of her eyes, before turning to the camera. "The PWT, or Pokemon World Tournament, is a gathering of the greatest trainers from several different regions, to compete for great rewards and the title of Ultimate Pokemon Master."

At this point, Bane's eyes were shimmering; he was literally bouncing with excitement. "Thank you, Champion Cynthia," the reporter replied. "And do you have any information for us on who is participating in this tournament?"

Cynthia looked off to the side, lost in thought. "Well, this may be obvious, but the tournament was just announced, so we only have a few official RSVP's. However," she turned back to the reporter. "I can say that we've invited the Gym Leaders, Elite Four, and Champions of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and, of course, Unova. And a few… special trainers, as well."

At that moment, Bane muted the TV. "How dare they!?" he shouted. "They didn't invite the Gym Leaders of Kenewyore! Or the knights or the champion!"

I shrugged. "Maybe they did invite them and they refused the invitation?" I suggested.

Bane folded his arms. "Nope. This was an open insult." He stomped his feet and got an angry expression. "And then they aired it on Kenewyore TV! It's insulting!" I sighed and we headed to bed after Nurse Joy gave us our pokemon. I was getting into bed, when I saw that Hitmonlee got into the top bunkbed above me. This gave me an idea, so I let my other pokemon out.

They seemed a bit confused at first, so I explained it to them. "Okay, show of… appendages? No… Just answer this; do any of you prefer sleeping in a pokeball, or outside of it? Just cry once for pokeball, twice for outside."

"Fury, fury!"

"Shell! Shell!"

"Shee-shei!"

I nodded. "Alright, you guys make yourselves comfy." Furyash flew up to the bed above Bane's and nested there, Shellder spun over to a shady spot below the desk the center provided, and Shiekire hung from the metal frame of my bed's top bunk. Then Bane walked in and observed the scene.

"…Everyone comfortable?" he asked with a light chuckle. "What's up? …Besides your bat."

I chuckled at his joke. "Well, my pokemon said they wanted to sleep outside of their pokeballs," I told him as I settled in, myself.

Bane thought for a moment, then got his pokeballs from the desk on his side of the room. He released his pokemon: Anorith, Porygon, and Elekid (Bane Jr.). "You guys wanna sleep outside of your mini-hotels tonight?" he asked them. A chorus of agreement hit his ears. "Go ahead," he chuckled. Porygon went to sit on his desk, Anorith crawled under his bed, and Bane Jr. lay at the foot of Bane's bed. Ban lay down and we settled in for the night.

***Yawn!* Man, am I tired. Well, college life is… interesting. I have had a lot of homework, so that's why I haven't been able to update as much.**

…

**Okay, Bane already agreed not to bother that reviewer anymore (after I gave him a cookie cake), so where is he?**

***Phone Ring! Phone Ring!***

**Hello?**

**Hey, this is Roxas. Bane's making me and Axel and Xion-**_**KZZZZRRT!**_** ….**

…**Well, that was odd… Oh well. Maybe I'll have a new fanfic once I figure out what Bane's up to. Adios, mi reviewers!**


	49. Chapter 38: Tourneys and Goodbyes?

**Sorry about the wait, folks. What kinda professor schedules an exam right before Fall Break!?**

**Bane: The Exammy kind?**

**Oh, you're back. Where were you? I've been bored! …Sort of…**

**Bane: What do you mean by-**

**I GOT POKEMON WHITE 2!**

**Bane: …Whoa. Okay then, cool. I got an imaginary version of Black 2. Just beat Roxie!**

**Four badges as of last night! Beat that!**

**Bane: …I got Tornadus with that Dream Radar app thingy.**

**Doesn't that cost three bucks?**

**Bane: Yeah, but it's cool…like me. B) Though not **_**as**_** cool.**

…**Whatever. Here's the chaptah!**

**Storm: Chaptah?**

**Yeah, it's like… When did **_**you**_** get here!?**

**Storm: Enjoy the chaptah!**

That morning, I got up and saw that Bane and his pokemon were already gone. I looked at the clock, which showed eight in the morning. As I got up, I saw that Shiekire had moved from its perch, and was now on Bane's bed, with the covers over it, snoring slightly. I couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

"What's so funny?" Alysson asked, walking in. I pointed to Shiekire and she laughed too. "Nice. Bane wanted me to tell you to hurry up and get dressed."

For those of you with interest in details, I'll describe my nightwear. It's pretty simple; a red t-shirt and red, plaid, pajama pants. Alysson had chosen to wear an orange t-shirt with a small flower on it, and a pink hoodie over that, which was halfway unzipped. From the waist down she wore jean capris and orange crocs, and her hair was styled in a curly ponytail, held in place by an orange hairband.

"…Storm?" she asked, looking sad. "There's something I need to tell you." I sat up and gave her my full attention. "…This is kind of hard to say, but… I'm leaving."

That gave me a shock. "You're leaving?" I asked in surprise. "But, why? I mean, you do like being with us, right?"

"Oh, of course I do!" she defended. "Well, at least you. Bane can be a bit…"

"Bane?" I guessed.

"Right… But, I'm still gonna miss you… and him!" she added quickly.

"But, why are you leaving?" I asked, gathering my clothes for the day.

"…Storm," she started, taking a deep breath. "I just feel like I need to. I mean, I like being with you and Bane, but I just need to go out and be myself, ya'know?" She looked straight at me. "I have to go."

For a minute, we just sat there. I thought about what she said, then said, "Okay."

She looked surprised. "What? You're okay with it?"

I gave her a forced smile. "Yeah. I mean, if you need to go, then…go." I looked away, starting to tear up.

"Storm…" She stopped and stood there. She turned and walked to the door. "…Goodbye. I will see you again, right?"

I turned to her and smiled. "Definitely." She gave me a smile and left.

I sat there for a few minutes, then I put on my clothes; a red t-shirt, jean shorts and canvas sneakers. After styling my hair by messing it up a bit (more-so than it already was, that is) and returning most of my pokemon (Hitmonlee refusing with a humph-like 'mon'), I went out to greet my traveling partners… Partner…

In the Pokemon Center's main lobby, I found Bane sitting on a couch, staring at the wall. "…I take it Alysson told you already?" I guessed. He silently nodded. "Well, it's not the end of the world, right? We'll see each other and…umm…" I really wasn't good at this sort of thing.

Suddenly Bane jumped up and put his arm around me with a smirk. "WOOHOO!" he screamed in my ear. "She's gone! Party time!" He then did a dance; very badly, I might add.

"…Well, you're taking this well," I pointed out with a smirk and a chuckle.

He turned to me and stopped dancing, thankfully. "Are you kidding? She was always nagging me about something! Wash your hair! Brush your teeth! Bathe! Sheesh, I mean, really, those things aren't necessary, right?"

After a second, I peeked my head out the door. "Alysson, come back! Please!" I shouted. After a laugh, we left the center, Hitmonlee walking ahead of us a bit, but somehow managing to make all the correct turns.

"So, where are we going and why did we skip breakfast?" I asked, a bit tired from the previous day's endeavors.

"Oh no, you're the only one who skipped breakfast," Bane corrected me. "I had a banana. And Alysson had cereal and even fed our pokemon for us." He reached into his surprisingly navy blue backpack and got out a brown, paper bag. "She even packed you a breakfast."

Hitmonlee was now walking backwards. Yup, he was that bored, and that far ahead of us; although we _were_ just leisurely walking. I took the bag and got the peanut butter sandwich from inside it. I chuckled. "Man, what are we gonna do without her?"

Bane once again reached into his pack and got out a familiar yellow book. "Well, she left us her infinitely wise book," he said holding said tome up. "She said we needed it more than her. But enough talking!" he said, throwing the book into his bag. "We have somewhere important to go!"

"And just where would that be?" I asked my black-haired friend with an Elekid on his leg. "And when did Bane Jr. get there?" I asked, indicating his leg.

Bane looked down and jumped back, startled. "When did he get there!?" he shouted, having a half-heart attack. Bane Jr. was humming and had small sparks going between its horns.

Soon enough we arrived at a semi-large arena, where Bane quickly ushered me in. "Two for the tournament, my good man," he told the woman at the counter. "…Woman."

I looked to Bane in surprise. "We're entering a tournament?" I asked, kind of shocked that he hadn't said anything earlier. "And you didn't mention this because…"

"It was a surprise, duh," he explained. _Oh, of course,_ I thought to myself. "Besides, I went looking for the Gym earlier, but couldn't find it, so I thought that we could use a little practice for when we do."

I sighed. "Well, I'm all battled out," I told him. "You're welcome to enter, but I'll sit this one out."

Bane pointed at a board on the wall. My eyes went wide as I looked past the counter, at the sign. "…Oh…my…pokedex…" I whispered. I saw an advertisement for the tournament's grand prize: a crystal Nidorina, glass-blown by hand, and about 4200 poke.

"Hi storm! Nice to see you! I didn't know you… and Bane, were coming!" Alysson said… _Wait, WHAT!?_

Bane and I turned to stare at Alysson in shock. "Why are you here!?" Bane shouted.

"Yep, I can already feel the love," Alysson joked.

"But, you're here?" I asked in surprise. "I thought you said you were leaving."

"I was," Alysson admitted. "But then I saw an advertisement for this tournament, and I decided to enter! Hope you don't mind."

I smiled gleefully. "Of course not!" I exclaimed. "The more the merrier, right Bane?" Bane didn't answer, so I turned around to find that he was already signing us up for the tournament.

He turned to us with a smirk. "It's trainin' time!" It didn't take long to prepare for the tournament. Bane, Alysson and I decided to train separately, in case we ended up facing each other during the tourney. So, now, you get to see how I train my pokemon.

I normally train my pokemon by a certain ranking system. Furyash and Hitmonlee were on Rank 2, and Shellder and Shiekire were on Rank 1. Rank 1 consists of training attacks on trees and sparring with other Rank 1 pokemon. Basically, I had Shiekire train his night slash attack on trees, and then his agility to weave through them. Then I had Shellder use icicle spear on some trees, and had him rapid spin through a small wooded area.

Rank 2 is a bit tougher training, as one might expect. It consists of my pokemon training against boulders and other large rocks, and, of course, against other Rank 2 pokemon. So, I had Furyash train flamethrower against a boulder, and Hitmonlee trained his blaze and mega kicks on the other side of the boulder. Then I had Furyash and Hitmonlee spar with each other by attempting to dodge each other's attacks.

"That's good, Furyash!" I complimented as it dodged Hitmonlee's mega kick. "Now try using heat crash!" Furyash's body lit itself aflame and it rushed Hitmonlee. The fighting-type countered this by cartwheeling out of the way, then preparing a kick at Furyash. "Whoa, whoa, hey!" I stopped him. "Dodging practice only!"

Hitmonlee crossed his arms and glared at me. "Hey, if you wanna train with me, you gotta train the way we train, okay?" Hitmonlee glared a bit more and Furyash tackled him to the ground. "And I say you need more training."

I went over to observe Shellder and Shiekire's training session and saw that they were doing equally well. Shellder was shooting attack after attack at the trees, and Shiekire was zipping through them at light-speed. "Nice job, guys!" I encouraged them. "Now let's try some sparring."

They stopped what they were doing and looked at me with confusion, so I explained. "I know this'll be your first time, but when sparring, you kind of fight each other to train your attacks. Look at Hitmonlee and Furyash." They looked and saw Furyash dodging Hitmonlee's kicks, then Hitmonlee dodging Furyash's flamethrower. "See? You basically train with each other."

They seemed reluctant at first, but soon prepared themselves for their spar. "Alright, since this is your first time sparring, I want you to only use one attack each. Shellder, you'll use water gun, and, Shiekire, you'll use wing attack, okay?" My pokemon nodded in agreement (which, for those two, meant literally nodding their bodies), and prepared themselves.

"Shellder, you need to train your defense. You're not really fast enough to avoid most pokemon, so you'll need to be able to take some hits, okay?" Shellder nodded. "And Shiekire, you'll need to work on dodging. Speed is your strength; if you can avoid all of your opponent's attacks, you can't lose, okay?" Shiekire nodded, and they were ready.

Shellder started with a water gun aimed for Shiekire, who easily dodged it. Next, Shiekire used a wing attack on Shellder, who used withdraw and took the hit excellently. "That's good, guys. Let's keep the momentum going."

After about an hour of training I took them to Nurse Joy to be healed before the tournament. I gave my pokemon, except for Hitmonlee, to the nurse and sat down on the couch to relax. Hitmonlee sat beside me and meditated. Shortly afterward, Bane came in and handed his pokemon to the nurse. He was humming as he sat down next to me. I looked at him with worry. "What's wrong?" I asked.

He looked toward me, smirking. "What do you mean?" he asked innocently.

"…I know you well enough to know that you've either gotten in trouble… or you have something up your sleeve," I finished with a smirk.

Bane leaned back in his seat. "Mayyybe," he half-sang. Then Alysson walked in and handed her pokemon to Nurse Joy. She sat down in a chair next to us and sighed.

"Man, what a workout!" she said, stretching. "So, how'd you guys' training sessions go?" she asked, leaning up.

"Pretty well," I replied. "And yours, Bane?"

Bane chuckled like a child with a secret they were just barely holding in. "Well, let's just say I feel sorry for whoever my first opponent is," he said with an even wider smirk.

**Storm & Bane: Alysson's leaving!? AAAAAAAHHHH!**

**Oh, calm down. Wait a few chapters, will ya? Crybabies.**

**Storm: But we'll _ without her! …Why didn't it let me say _?**

**Because death is not rated G. Enjoy, my people! And the next one won't take so long.**


	50. Chapter 39: Training Sessions! Times 2!

**And now, Bane's training session… through the eyes of the trainer…**

I decided to train my pokemon in the battle area of the pokemon center, so we started there. I released all of my pokemon; that's Porygon, Anorith and Bane Jr, for those of you keeping track at home. "Alright, men!" I shouted like a drill sergeant. They all lined up, Anorith and my little hatchling even saluting, though I couldn't really do anything about Porygon…

"Today, we train hard!" I started pacing back and forth. "Today, we train long! Today, we train with everything we've got!" I stopped in front of them and shouted, "ARE YOU READY!?" My pokemon cheered in reply and I gave a proud smirk. "That's my pokemon! Now, first up-"

"Excuse me?" I was rudely interrupted. I groaned and turned around to see a young lady in a flowery dress. "That seems a bit… mean…"

I raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?" I asked, not really caring. My style of training has worked so far, and I plan for it to keep working, whether she says something or not.

"Well, I train my pokemon a bit… differently." She whispered the last word so quiet that I could barely hear her.

"And?" I asked, egging her to go on, even though I really wanted her to leave.

"Well…" She muttered something I couldn't hear.

"What was that?" I asked. She muttered again. "Could you, maybe, speak up a little?"

"…Maybe I could… show you how I train?" she suggested shyly as a lock of her long, light brown hair fell in front of her face.

"…Sure, why not?" I gave in. What can I say? I can never turn down a pretty girl.

She smiled and walked over to a tree. "Let's show him how we train, okay Birchy?"

Okay, I've expressed my opinions on pokemon nicknames, but a nickname for a tree? Really? I was proved wrong, however, when the tree got up and walked over. It was a Sudowoodo. "…Cool pokemon."

"Thank you," she said shyly. She then turned to her Sudowoodo. "Birchy, please show the nice man how we train." The Sudowoodo named Birchy then did something that was just…wrong. It danced.

"…What…" That was all I could say. I was looking at a dancing Sudowoodo, for crying out loud!

"Birchy and I train by strengthening his inner core with this special dance. It helps to keep him in top performance," the girl explained.

I said nothing. Then Anorith tugged on my pant leg. What? Storm told you what he and Alysson were wearing? …And he didn't tell you what my outfit was!? The nerve of him! Well, I guess if he won't, then I will. I was wearing a black t-shirt with my black leather-like jacket on and black jeans. Aren't you glad I described that now? …Oh, leather-like means that it's partly leather, but it also has other materials that make it comfortable, even in hot weather. Anyways, back to the story.

"Oh, right. We'd best be getting back to _our_ way of training," I told the girl. Suddenly we heard a rustling in the bushes. The girl squealed and jumped behind me, followed closely by her Sudowoodo. I walked closer to the bush and brushed some leaves aside, but whatever it was moved before I could see it. I then walked over to where I thought it went and tried doing that again, but it moved again.

I watched it closely as it moved into another bush. "Porygon, flash it out," I commanded. Porygon shot a small flash cannon at the bush, out of which, a Squirtle flew out. Okay, I know that right now several of you Kantoans, and some other people, will wonder how there are Squirtle here when you can hardly find any in places like Kanto or Hoenn. Well, it just depends on where you are. If I asked you how on earth you stumbled upon a Caterpie you'd think I was joking, wouldn't you? Caterpie is actually very, very rare in Kenewyore.

The girl jumped back and squealed right next to my ear. "…OW…" I said, very annoyed.

The girl started jumping up and down. It's! So! CUTE!" she exclaimed.

I scoffed. "Please. It's a starter! Those are for babies." The Squirtle, apparently, didn't like that and sprayed me with a pretty strong water gun. I got up and glared at the water-type. "You call _that_ a water gun? Anorith! Show him a real water gun!"

My brilliant little bug-type shot that Squirtle with a water gun, knocking him back. The Squirtle got up with a familiar smirk on its face. "Squirtle, squirt!" it shouted defiantly, then shot Anorith with a water gun.

"Whoa!" I shouted. That water gun knocked Anorith back by several feet! "Anorith!" Anorith lied there dizzily. "Grr, Porygon! Thunderbolt!" Porygon shot a thunderbolt at the Squirtle, which withdrew into its shell, making the attack do little damage.

The Squirtle popped out and started laughing at me. "Squirt, squirt, squirt, squirt, Squirtle!" it shouted with a broad smile.

"Grr! Bane Jr! Thunder!" Bane Jr. let loose a powerful thunder attack that fried the laughing Squirtle. Then I proceeded to start laughing at it. The Squirtle growled, then rushed at Bane Jr. It pulled back its tiny fist which started to glow a misty white, then slammed into my bumblebee-colored pokemon with an ice punch!

"Whoa…" I commented. Hmm, ice punch is a strong move. Squirtle may be a starter, but… A smirk found its way onto my face, followed by the words, "Porygon, use zap cannon!" Yeah, that's right. Porygon-Z isn't the only duck that can learn zap cannon… I just called Porygon a duck, didn't I?

Porygon shot a zap cannon that fried the Squirtle further and I threw a pokeball at it. It absorbed the Squirtle in red light, then the ball fell to the ground. All was quiet.

It shook once.

"Come on, come on," I breathed.

It shook twice.

The girl stood beside me in anticipation.

It shook three times.

"I think it's gonna make it!" the flower-dressed girl exclaimed.

It popped open and released the Squirtle!

"…DANG IT!" I shouted.

The girl gasped. "Language!" she scolded.

The Squirtle laughed again, but started teetering from the damage it had already taken. "Okay, Porygon, one last zap cannon!" Porygon shot it with another shock and the Squirtle was struggling to stand. I got out my pokeball to throw, but another pokeball hit it first. I looked over to see the girl I met earlier standing there with a smile.

"…WHAT WAS THAT!" I shouted.

The pokeball shook once.

"I- you- it- how could you- GRAGHH!"

The pokeball shook twice.

Anorith and Porygon were holding me back from strangling the girl as Bane Jr. watched it beside her.

The pokeball shook thrice.

Even I had stopped to see if the pokeball clicked this time. We all watched it intently.

The pokeball clicked and lied still. We stood there for a moment before the girl picked up the pokeball and walked over to me. "…How could you-" She grabbed my hand and placed the pokeball into it, stopping my rant. "…You're giving it to me?" I asked, kind of surprised.

She nodded. "Well, you did battle it. I just didn't want you to use your last pokeball." I looked and saw that the pokeball I was about to toss _was_ my last one. _Huh, she's pretty perceptive,_ I noted. "Thanks for spending some time with me, by the way." I looked up and saw that she was leaving. "You're in the tournament, right?" I nodded. "Hope I see you there!" she said as she and her Sudowoodo, Birchy, left.

I looked into my hand at the pokeball holding my new Squirtle. "…I've sure got an unusual team, don't I?" I mused as I walked back to the center. _Ohh, Storm and Alysson are in for a treat tomorrow!_ I thought as I got to the center. _Oh, there's Storm. _He was sitting on a couch, beside his Hitmonlee. _Unusual pokemon, really._

As these thoughts swirled in my head, I handed my pokemon to the nurse and took a seat beside me buddy, opposite Hitmonlee. "What's wrong?" he asked.

I looked at him with a smirk. "What do you mean?" I asked with a hint of false innocence.

"…I know you well enough to know that you've either gotten in trouble… or you have something up your sleeve," he finished, copying my smirk.

I leaned back in my seat. "Mayyybe," I half-sang. Then Alysson walked in and handed her pokemon to Nurse Joy. She sat down in a chair next to us and sighed.

"Man, what a workout!" she said, stretching. "So, how'd you guys' training sessions go?" she asked, leaning up.

"Pretty well," Storm replied. "And yours, Bane?"

I couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "Well, let's just say I feel sorry for whoever my first opponent is," I bragged. _They are gonna be blown away._

Alysson giggled. "What's so funny?" I asked her.

She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. "Oh, nothing," she said with another giggle. "Just a bit of a… surprise."

I raised an eyebrow. "A surprise?" Storm asked. "What surprise?"

She giggled again. "You'll have to wai-ait!" she sang.

**And now we see Alysson's training session… through the trainer's eyes…**

I decided to train in a farmer's field. He had been letting people train for the tournament there and said that it was no trouble at all for me to do the same. Anyway, I know a lot of you probably want me to explain why I'm wanting to leave the group. Well, it's kind of complicated. _I just feel like I need to go out into the world, find myself, do some exploring… Well, I guess I could do that with Storm and Bane… And they are good friends… And I do have fun. Hey! Stop trying to change my mind!_

Moving on, I decided to train Normlos against Woobat first. "Normlos, use acrobat to dodge Woobat's wing attacks! And Woobat, give it everything you've got!" Woobat needed to learn more battle techniques; it really wasn't very good at fighting yet. You see, my parents got it from a pokemon breeding center in Comington and, as you can imagine, they don't really train pokemon for fighting there.

And Normlos was good at dodging and had that powerful hurricane attack, but… I'm gonna let you guys in on a little secret, but _only_ if you promise not to tell! Normlos' hurricane attack takes a lot out of her. And I mean _a lot_. Normlos can only really do it once a battle, or if she can heal in her pokeball for a long time during a match. So, Normlos and Woobat started training. At first, Woobat couldn't touch Normlos, but then she started getting better.

After about twenty minutes, I had them switch to Woobat and Llama (and I don't care what Storm says, it's a cute name!). "Okay, Llama, use rage and let Woobat's attacks hit you, then use wing attack! Woobat, give Gerbirfur everything you've got, but make sure you dodge that wing attack! And, go!"

Woobat started giving Llama her best, and Llama took the hits equally well. However, when Llama used wing attack it hit Woobat head-on, knocking her far back. "Woobat!" I ran over to check on my bat pokemon. "Are you okay?" It slowly flew up and nodded.

"You're sure?" I asked. It nodded fervently. "Okay, then." I conceded. "Try again, guys." They tried a few more times, but Woobat failed at each one. After the fourth try, I suggested, "Maybe we should stop for now." Woobat shook its head furiously. "Are you sure?" It squeaked with a smile. "Alright…"

After I gave Llama a hyper potion, Woobat began hitting Llama again. After a bit, Llama prepared to attack, but Woobat used hypnosis on it before it could! As Llama drifted off to sleep, I beamed proudly at my psychic-type. "Woobat!" I squealed in excitement. "You learned hypnosis!" Woobat flew around my head in celebration.

After we celebrated, I used an awakening potion on my Gerbirfur and we moved on to training Normlos and Llama; Woobat had earned a rest. "Normlos, use acrobatics! Llama, try to fly around her and dodge it!"

Normlos started springing around the field and Gerbirfur tried to fly away. It took less than three seconds for Llama to take the first hit. "That's okay, Llama, try again!" I encouraged. In my opinion, the secret to training pokemon is encouragement and hard work. After another twenty minutes, a full hour, we decided to head back to the center to get ready. I walked into the center and handed the nurse my pokemon and saw Bane, Storm and Hitmonlee sitting on a couch. I decided to sit next to them while we waited.

I gave a sigh and started stretching. "Man, what a workout!" I leaned up to talk to them better. "So, how'd you guys' training sessions go?"

"Pretty well," Storm replied. "And yours, Bane?"

Then he let out a chuckle. He was definitely hiding something. "Well, let's just say I feel sorry for whoever my first opponent is," he almost bragged.

I had to giggle. "What's so funny?" Bane asked me.

I leaned back and closed my eyes. "Oh, nothing," I said with another giggle. "Just a bit of a… surprise."

"A surprise?" Storm asked. "What surprise?"

I couldn't help giggling again. "You'll have to wai-ait!" I sang. _They are gonna be blown away when they see what I've got in store!_

Bane got up. "Well, our pokemon should be healed," he declared. "Ready to go?" Storm and I agreed, then we gathered our pokemon and headed for the tournament.

**Told you the next chapter wouldn't take long… Well, not **_**too**_** long. Enjoy, dudes and dudettes!**

**BANE: OR ELSE!**

…**Did you hit CAPS Lock?**

…**MAYBE I DID, MAYBE I DIDN'T. THERE'S NO WAY TO KNOW.**

…**Seriously? Whatever, enjoy!**


	51. Chapter 40: Tourney - Alysson VS Rupert!

**And now, we'll return to Storm's perspective once more…**

Well, after getting our pokemon back from this town's Nurse Joy (for every different one I see, it gets a little weirder) we went straight for the tournament hall. Though once we arrived, we were greeted by a familiar face. "Hey, you guys!" said the stranger who had helped us battle the Jest's back on Route 13. I believe he told us his name was 'Ron'.

"Hey," I greeted him. "Wat'cha doing here?"

He shrugged. "Joining in the tournament." Once again, his eyes were concealed by his cowboy hat. "You guys?"

"Yup. We're all in," I explained. "But by what I remember, you're gonna be tough to beat."

He tipped his hat forward, but still left it covering his eyes. "Thanks. Y'all aren't pushovers either, though," he complimented. "I'm particularly worried about the emo there," he said, pointing at Bane.

Bane put on a face of insult as Alysson and I held in our laughter. "EMO!?" he shouted. "I'm not an- and you just, but how dare- GAHH!" He stormed off into the competitors' waiting room.

"Shall we join 'im?" 'Ron' asked. We agreed and joined Bane in the room, seeing several of our fellow competitors. Now, we don't even interact with most of these guys, so I'll just tell you about the ones you need to remember.

First up, we saw a large biker sitting on a bench, talking to one of the other participants. He wore a gray tank shirt with a black, leather vest over it with 'Rolling Donphans!' on the back. He had blue eyes, and his hair was bushy and wild, only rivaled by the wildness of his beard, and he had on ripped jeans and black boots. He had sunglasses resting on his head and a pendant on a chain around his neck. At the moment, he was laughing jovially with the other person.

The other person was pretty normal, comparatively. He had short, brown hair that was styled to be spiky, brown eyes, and a darker complexion. He wore a blue shirt under a green vest with many pockets, and khaki pants and black running shoes. He seemed to be joking with the biker.

Then there was a young girl, a little older than me. She wore a flowery dress, had long, brown hair, beautiful, green eyes, and pink sandals. Bane seemed to be keeping his distance from her for some reason.

Well, I would describe more, but before I had the chance to look around more, the intercom system crackled to life. _"KRZZT! All Competitors, prepare for the first round!"_ it screamed. _"The matchups are being decided now!"_

All the competitors, our group included, were now staring intently at the screen of the TV provided in the waiting room. Then it came on and showed the outside of the arena. The scene changed to the stadium, which was filled with people, leaving no seat empty… except for one out near the center.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer boomed into his microphone. The announcer was a trim man with brown, styled hair, and a navy blue suit. "Welcome, to the Pasturida Exhibition Tournament!" The crowd cheered wildly.

"Wow," Alysson commented nervously. "That's a lot of people." I nudged her slightly and she looked at me. I gave her a comforting smile and she returned it, just as confidently.

"Now, we have sixteen fine trainers here today, folks!" the announcer continued. "Some coming from all the way across the seas to be here!" _From across the sea_? I wondered. _Like from other regions?_

"And now, we are deciding the pairings!" He turned to a large board which had sixteen squares on the bottom row, eight on the next, four on the middle row, two on the next, and one with a crown over it at the top. Suddenly, pictures of every competitor appeared on the bottom row, flashing around randomly, to ultimately decide the pairings. Then they stopped.

"And our first pairing is, Alysson, of Comington, and Rupert, from the faraway region of Kanto, a resident of Viridian City!" The crowd cheered as I examined the remaining pictures. From the looks of it, Bane was up against the biker, 'Ron' was against some other trainer I hadn't seen, and I was up against the guy who was talking to the biker.

Alysson turned to us with a smirk. "Wish me luck," she said confidently.

Bane, Ron and I wished her luck, then she left for the arena. We turned back and got seats on the benches to watch. "And here are our first challengers, folks!" the narrator announced soon after. "Alysson!" Alysson walked onto the field from one side and waved sheepishly to the audience. "And Rupert!" A seventeen-year old walked onto the other side of the field, blowing kisses to the audience. He had a confident look about himself, and had dark blue, nearly black, eyes and short, flat, black hair. He wore a blue t-shirt, khaki pants, black trainers and a blue visor shielding his eyes form the sun.

The referee stepped into the center of the field. "Challenger, ready?" he called to Alysson. Alysson nodded. "Challenger, ready?" he called to Rupert.

The cocky young man gave a laugh. "Ready to win!" he called back.

"He'll lose," Ron commented beside us.

I turned to him with a bit of surprise. "What do you mean?" I asked.

He settled back into his seat, a foldable chair he had brought for the wait, and relaxed himself. "I can tell these things."

"…You mean, the outcome of a match? Before it even happens?" Bane asked with doubt.

Ron chuckled. "Yep," he replied confidently. "And there are two more reasons I know he'll lose," he added as the referee walked to his post.

"And what are those?" I asked curiously.

"One, cocky competitors never win," he said as the judge raised his flags.

"And two?" I prompted.

He lifted his hat, giving me a slight glimpse of his onyx-black eyes. "He's up against Alysson."

"Begin!" the official cried, starting the match. The matches for this tournament were to be three-on-three single matches. Alysson tossed out Normlos and Rupert threw out a pokemon I wouldn't have known, if not for my dad's research; an Ivysaur. It's a green-bodied, four legged pokemon with a wide maw and a small, budding flower on its back. Its other noteworthy points would be its lack of tail, small height of about three feet, and the splotches of darker green spread over its body.

Rupert decided to make the first move. "Ivysaur, razor leaf!" Ivysaur swiftly shot a few leaves from its bulb.

"Normlos, acrobatic dodge!" Alysson countered. Normlos bounced around the field, nimbly avoiding the leaves.

Rupert thought about how to counter this move. "Hmm, Ivysaur, switch to vine whip! Grab that slippery snake!" Ivysaur stopped firing leaves and two vines shot out from the base of its bulb. They quickly grabbed hold of Normlos, holding the squirming snake helplessly in mid-air.

"Normlos!" Alysson shouted. "Try using twist to get out!" Twist is a move in which the pokemon twists its body, like rapid spin, but without the ability to move. It's similar to drill run, but normal-type. And Normlos used a textbook twist to get out of Ivysaur's grip. "Great job! Now use headbutt!" Normlos slithered quickly into close-range and hit Ivysaur onto its side.

"Ivysaur! Retaliate with leech seed!" Rupert countered. Ivysaur got up and launched a seed at Normlos, from its bulb. The seed hit Normlos and immediately, several thin vines wrapped around it and sapped its energy.

"Nooorrr!" the snake shouted twisting and thrashing around in an attempt to remove the vines.

"Normlos, return!" Alysson shouted, quickly returning Normlos to its pokeball. By the way, substitutions are allowed in this tournament.

"The challenger, Alysson, has returned her Normlos!" the Narrator announced over the intercom. "What will she choose next?"

Alysson answered that by releasing her Woobat. "Go, Woobat! Use confusion!" Woobat's body became outlined in blue and Ivysaur was lifted off the ground.

"Ivysaur!" Rupert shouted in fear as Ivysaur flailed in a panic. Woobat then psychically tossed Ivysaur into the wall of the arena, nearly hitting the camera we were watching through. When the camera angle switched to a different one, we saw that Ivysaur was KO'd.

"Ivysaur is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Point to Alysson!" The crowd cheered loudly, as Alysson jumped for joy.

"Good job, Woobat! Let's keep it going!" she cheered.

Rupert mumbled and got out an ultra-ball. "Yup, he's one of them," Ron commented mysteriously.

"What do you mean?" I asked, still very confused by how he seemed to know these things.

"He's from Kanto, right?" I nodded at Ron's question. "Well, he's probably already completed a journey around there. I bet he only came here for a new challenge. That means he has a whole lot of experience under his belt."

"…And you figured that out from his grabbing an ultra-ball?" I asked with some skepticism.

"That, and that," he said, pointing to the monitor we were watching through. I returned my attention to the monitor and saw that he had a Solrock out now; a pokemon common to Kenewyore. "I bet Ivysaur's the only Pokemon he brought from Kanto. He probably began catching others once he got here, and his whole team's Kenewyore-pokemon."

His guess made sense. If so, that meant that this guy was an experienced trainer. Solrock unleashed a psywave, which Woobat agilely dodged. "Now, Woobat!" Alysson shouted. "Use heart stamp!" A heart-shaped bubble came out of Woobat's nose and headed for Solrock.

"Solrock, pop that bubble with rock throw!" Solrock's slit-like eyes glowed blue as it used its psychic powers to lift rock from the ground and hurtled them at the bubble popping it. "Now, hit Woobat!" The Solrock picked up more rocks, which threw themselves at Woobat.

"Woobat, dodge them!" Alysson ordered. Woobat quickly avoided the stones and flew behind Solrock. "Now, hypnosis!"

"What!?" Rupert shouted. "Solrock, move!" But Solrock was too slow; all it could do was turn around before Woobat's attack connected, putting the sun-shaped pokemon into a deep sleep.

"Now, finish it with dream eater!" Woobat went close to Solrock and some small, yellow orbs came out of the rock-type, then went into Woobat's mouth, healing it.

"Huh, I wonder when she taught it hypnosis?" Bane asked beside me. "Normally, a Woobat can't learn that move. It's a great combo with dream eater, though." Bane smirked. "She's pretty good."

I turned to him with surprise as Rupert returned his KO'd Solrock. "Uh, hello? Have you even been watching her battles during this whole journey?"

Bane turned to me with equal surprise. "What? Oh, no, I meant Woobat. Alysson told me it was a 'she' earlier," he explained. "The only time I saw Woobat battle was against the Jests, and it all but lost, remember?"

"Whoa!" Ron suddenly shouted. "Awesome pokemon at twelve-o'clock, people!"

We turned to the screen and saw that Rupert's last pokemon was a Lapras! I don't care where you're from, that's a rare pokemon! "Whoa!" Bane mimicked. "Where'd he get that?"

"I caught it on the ferry here," Rupert somehow answered from the other side of the TV. "In case you're all wondering."

"Show-off," Bane scoffed.

"Bingo," Ron agreed.

"Lapras, use ice shard!" Rupert opened. Lapras gave a near-melodic cry and shot a large ice crystal at Woobat.

Alysson tried to counter. "Woobat-" But the attack landed before she even finished the sentence. Woobat was hit hard by the ice and knocked to the far wall, KO'd. "…" Alysson returned Woobat silently.

"Woobat is unable to battle!" the announcer rang out once more. "Point to Rupert!"

Alysson grabbed her next pokeball and threw out her Gerbirfur. "Okay, Llama!" she shouted vigorously. "Use rage and wing attack!" Llama cawed loudly and rushed at the much larger pokemon.

"Lapras, use fissure!" Rupert shouted. The audience gasped in shock as Lapras raised its front body and slammed into the ground, opening a huge crack that spread toward Llama. We could feel the earth shaking as Llama quickly opened its wings and flew over the crack. "Dang it!" Rupert shouted as Gerbirfur made contact with Lapras.

The fissure, however, did not stop; it continued going and Alysson had to run out of the way. As she narrowly avoided it, however, it continued to spread to the wall of the arena, and the audience! The audience screamed as the crack grew nearer, but before it reached them, a Slowking appeared in a beam of red. It lifted its hands and said, "Sloooow…" Slowly, the crack stopped and stilled. Then Slowking slowly put its hands together and several rocks were teleported from a nearby lake and filled the broken ground.

Meanwhile, all of us other contestants had rushed upstairs to see what we could do to help (the waiting room was underground), and were greeted with this sight. A rather portly gentleman in a suit walked forward and greeted us with a tip of his top hat.

Suddenly Bane froze up and started sputtering spastically. "What's up?" I asked. "Those tacos not agreeing with you?"

Bane sputtered a bit more and pulled me close. "That," he whisper-hissed, "Is _Sir_ Barney Righton! One of _the_ Four Knights of the King's Court!"

Now I was the sputtering one. Alysson walked up to him. "Thank you, sir!" she thanked, wiping some sweat off her forehead. "That was close."

The man nodded happily at her then turned with a frown toward Rupert. Rupert looked like he was about to wet himself. "I… I never meant for it to-"

"Well, of course you didn't mean for anyone to be harmed!" Sir Barney interrupted. "That much is obvious from the way you tried to call off your Lapras' attack. However, I believe it is a clear rule that no OHKO moves are allowed in this tournament."

"OHKO?" I asked Bane quietly. "What's that?"

"One-Hit Knock Out moves," Bane explained. "They aren't very accurate, but if they hit, the opponent is instantly KO'd."

"Correct," Sir Barney praised, startling us. "You're a smart trainer, aren't you?"

Bane was speechless at the compliment, so I answered for him. "He is. Thank you," I said, trying to be respectful.

Barney turned to leave and the announcer directed him to the only chair…the one in the front…where he could see all our battles, move-for-move. That made me nervous. Bane gave me a pat on the back, though and helped me back to the stairs. "It's no big deal," he told me.

I scoffed. "Yeah, just one of the most influential people in the pokemon world, here to see me flop." Suddenly, there was static over the arena's intercom system.

"…_And, the judges have declared Alysson of Comington the winner!"_ the announcer announced. The crowd cheered as Alysson ran over and hugged us.

"I did it!" she cheered.

"By default," Bane _had_ to remind her. "And it's only the first round." Alysson sighed, then walked back to the waiting room and passed Ron with a 'Hey.'

"Hey, Ron," I greeted. "What's up?"

He pointed to the giant-screen above the stadium. "My turn's up next," he said, pointing at the picture of him and a blonde youth next to Alysson's pairing. Alysson's picture had now gone up a level, onto the row with eight picture slots, while Rupert's picture had a duller color and a red 'X' through it. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck," Bane and I said in unison as Ron walked to the field. We returned to the waiting room to watch the match. Down there, Alysson had reserved two seats for us, next to her. Now, as the announcer was opening the next match, I was able to see more competitors… Well, if there were any. Once I looked around, I saw that we were indeed the only ones in this room. I guess the others were in different waiting rooms, or something.

"And, a resident of our own town of Pasturida, Ron!" the announcer said as the crowd cheered louder than they had yet. Ron waved to the crowd and looked directly at the camera (as much as one can with a cowboy hat covering their face). "Hi, mom!" he shouted.

Of course, Bane laughed out loud at Ron's classic joke as I checked his competitor out. He was about 15, blonde with sunglasses covering his eyes, and about five-feet tall. He wore a long-sleeved, khaki work shirt, pressed jeans, and blue tennis shoes. His short hair waved in the breeze and he flipped it back into place. "Ready for me?" he called to Ron.

Ron tipped his hat to his competitor. "I won't even need all three a' my pokemon to handle you!" he answered back with a country accent that had been a bit more pronounced than his normal voice.

They both pulled out their pokeballs and the referee shouted, "Begin!"

**Okay, people! I've been gone long enough! I ain't gonna let college interfere with my writing, anymore! YOU, my people, are my dedication! (that and getting A's in English and Math) And I will not, will not I say, allow my work to be hindered by the institution of public learning! I am an American, and I will fight for my rights!**

**Bane: …That was beautiful, man.**

**Thank you. Now, HERE'S MY STORIES, READERS! PLEASE REVIEW! Seriously, I haven't gotten a review since… Oct. 11****th****! And since then I've posted… A chapter! …huh. Not as bad as I thought it was. Thanks, reviewers and readers!**

**Bane: Whiner.**

_**SHUT IT!**_

**Bane: …Are you gonna tell 'em now?**

**Huh? Oh yeah! I'm writin' a KH adventure fanfic! With Bane! And Storm and Alysson! And Master Venes!**

**Bane: Who's that?**

**NO QUESTIONS UNTIL IT IS TIME! And… If I get a review for each of my next three chapters (of this story)… I'll post its first chapter! Dun-duh-duh-duh!**

**Bane: Yay! Review, slackers!**


	52. Chapter 41: The Tourney Continues! Duh

_Uploaded Nov. 27, 2012_

**And now Ron shall enter the arena!**

**Bane: Where the heck have you been? Did you die or something?**

…**F…I…N…A…L…S…**

**Bane: …I see… Anyways, here's an exciting battle chapter! …With more a bit later in. READ IT!**

…**finals…**

Ron tossed his and released Lampent, while the other trainer released a Vannilish; a Unova-region pokemon. "Lampent, heat things up!" Ron opened.

Lampent shot a powerful, purple flame at Vanillish. "Vanilla, dodge!" the opposing trainer commanded. 'Vanilla' the Vanillish quickly avoided the flame. "Now, use icy wind!" Vanillish blew a cold wind at Lampent.

"Really?" Ron asked. He then shrugged. "Have it your way. Lampent, use heat wave. He's not worth the trouble." And with that, Lampent curled its body nearly into a ball and focused. Vanilla's attack hit, but it didn't look like Lampent even noticed. Finally, Lampent released heat wave, an attack that literally blasts a wave of heat at the opponent. Normally, it shoots in every direction in a radius around the pokemon, but Ron's Lampent focused it into one concentrated shot of heat, that instantly KO'd Vanilla, even scorching the ground around it.

"Vanilla!" the challenger shouted in a panic. He ran to check his pokemon.

"Vannilish is unable to battle," the referee declared. "Lampent is the winner. Josh, please select your next pokemon."

"So, Josh, huh?" I mumbled, just now hearing his name for the first time.

Bane nodded beside me. "Yeah, he's not very good, is he?"

I shrugged. "That was only the first battle. He's still got two poke- oh, you've gotta be kidding me." Josh had chosen an Amoongus. Let me restate that: he chose _another_ pokemon that was weak to fire-types. "…Okay, so he's not very good. At least this match won't last too much longer," I said, stretching.

"Really?" Ron asked, mimicking mine and Bane's thoughts on his choice. Ron sighed. "My first match, too… Lampent, use psychic." Lampent's eyes glowed blue and Amoongus was picked up psychically and tossed to the other side of the arena. Amoongus slowly got back up. "Lampent, finish it," Ron ordered more firmly.

Lampent waved its arms like a conductor and Amoongus flew all around the arena, only touching the ground, at last, after two minutes of flinging. Everyone stared in shock as the referee declared Amoongus unable to battle. "…I knew he was good, but," Bane started. "I didn't know he fought like that."

"Yeah," I agreed. "I mean, it was one thing when he had Lampent use memento in that battle with the Jests, but that was just… cruel."

Ron had a look of boredom on his face as it looked like Josh was about to pass out. The young blonde took two, even, calming breaths and released his final pokemon; a Vullaby. "Vullaby, use brave bird!"

The audience gasped in shock as Vullaby flew up and shot toward Lampent. "Lampent, acid armor!" Ron retaliated quickly. Lampent shone with a silvery mist and took the attack well, considering all the clawing and scratching. "Now, close-range flamethrower!" Lampent shot a purple flame directly at Vullaby using its hat-like head. Vullaby was shaken, not stirred, but still ready to go.

"Man, he is merciless, isn't he?" Bane asked as we watched with rapt attention.

"Shh!" I whispered to him. "Tell me later." Yeah, I was really focused on the battle. Well, I felt kind of sorry for Josh; he had already lost two battles against the same pokemon, without even doing any damage!

"Vullaby, faint attack!" Vullaby waddled over to Lampent.

"Lampent! Stop it with shadow ball!" Ron countered.

Lampent shot a dark, mucky-and-misty orb at Vullaby. "Vullaby, use mirror move!" Suddenly, a similar orb appeared in front of Vullaby and shot off, meeting Lampent's and leaving a huge explosion in its wake.

"Lampent!" Ron shouted, searching for his pokemon in the smoke. "Get above it!" Lampent rose above the smoke, but Vullaby was holding on to its back! "Lampent, shake it off!"

Lampent thrashed about in the air, but the bird wouldn't let go. "Vullaby, use toxic!"

"Dang it!" Ron shouted as Lampent was poisoned by the toxic attack. "Lampent, use memento!" Lampent curled its arms behind it and grabbed Vullaby, then its eyes turned an eerie blue and it began falling to the stadium ground. Vullaby leaped off and started supporting itself with its wings, but Lampent was returned to its pokeball before it hit the ground, anyway.

"Lampent is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Vullaby wins. Please choose your second pokemon."

Bane, Alysson and I had mixed feelings about this. "He just gave up!" I declared. "Just because he was poisoned?"

"He used that attack again?" Alysson asked angrily. "Does he have any idea how much that must hurt Lampent? He-"

"Oh, be quiet," Bane said, still watching the screen. "He wasn't giving up, he was trying to help Lampent." At Alysson's and my confused looks, he continued. "Toxic is the most damaging poison cause-effect move that there is. Lampent wouldn't have been able to do well poisoned; that's why he did that. It also gave him the bonus of weakening Vullaby." Bane paused for a moment. "But I stand by my reasoning."

This gave Alysson and me something to think about. At least until Ron threw out his next pokemon: a Beldum. The Beldum hovered and gave a mechanical cry as it prepared for battle. "Beldum, iron head!" Ron declared.

Bane sat up straight. "Beldum isn't supposed to know that move," he muttered to himself. Beldum nonetheless rammed into Vullaby with a silvery tackle.

Vullaby shook itself off and stood, ready for more. "Vullaby, use faint attack!" Josh shouted. It was clear that he was nervous.

As Vullaby hastily waddled nearer, Ron countered. "Beldum, take down!" Beldum slammed into Vullaby, leaving it twitching in the ground.

"Vullaby is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "The winner of this match is Ron, of Pasturida!" the crowd cheered as Ron returned Beldum and walked off. Josh hurriedly returned his Vullaby and ran to the nurse.

Soon after, Ron joined us downstairs. "Hey," he called when he entered. "So, how'd I do?"

We really didn't know what to say to that. Our views of Ron were changed that day, and there didn't seem like much he could do to change them back. "You're a good battler," Bane said finally. Ron nodded, slightly put off, and leaned back in his seat.

"The next match is Bane, of Solatropia Island, versus Butch, of the town of Icirrus, in the Unova region!" the announcer screamed over the intercom, gaining cheers from the audience.

Bane got up and stretched. "Well, wish me luck," he said, walking out. "Oh!" he exclaimed, turning around. "These are 3-on-3 matches, right?"

Alysson and I shared a look, then turned back to him. "Good luck," we each said sincerely.

He frowned at our comment and left. Ron, meanwhile, had gotten out a PokePad and was using the touchscreen for some purpose. "Wat'cha doin?" Alysson said after a moment.

He looked up and shrugged. "Making notes on the competitors," he replied, going back to his screen. "Some of these guys, unlike Josh, seem like tough competitors, so I need to know everything I can to keep one step ahead." He turned the screen over to show us a picture of Bane and Anorith, from when we battled the Jests. "Even him. For example, I have a strategy to beat Bane down-pat."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because if there's one thing Bane's got, it's not predictability."

Ron nodded, returning his focus to his work. "True enough, but I doubt he's gotten any new pokemon in the last day or so, and I have a strategy ready for each one." He grinned to himself as he put his Pad away.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer boomed. "The third and final match for today is between Bane, a tropical resident of Kenewyore," Bane waved to the audience as they cheered. "And Butch, a rough rider from the foreign shores of Unova!" Butch flexed his muscles as the crowd cheered again.

"So, Ron," I said, eyes on the screen. "Care to make a prediction on this match?"

Alysson didn't know what we meant, having been on the field at the time, so she asked what I was talking about. "I bet that the guy up against you would lose," Ron explained. "Well, not really a bet, more like an… educated assumption. And, I'll say… Butch'll win this one." Alysson was shocked, but I just laughed. "And what's so funny?" Ron asked me.

I sighed from laughter. "Well, I've been with Bane for just over a week now and, how should I put this?" I jokingly thought for a moment. "He doesn't lose easily."

Ron shrugged. "Whatever," he commented lazily.

"Well, isn't he full of personality?" Alysson whispered to me. I tried to keep myself from laughing, and only did so barely. Meanwhile, Bane had released Anorith and Butch had chosen a Donphan; the battle had begun.

"Anorith, use cross poison!" Bane opened the match. Anorith scuttled toward Donphan.

"Donphan!" Butch shouted. "Roll-_out!_" He pronounced it like two words, but Donphan still used a basic rollout attack, rolling into a ball and rushing at Anorith.

"Anorith, dig!" Bane countered. Anorith dug underground and avoided Donphan's attack. Donphan, however, had rolled right over Anorith's hole and, as though it were a truck running over a pothole, turned and fell on its side.

"Donphan!" Butch cried. "Use fire fang once that bug comes up!" Donphan waited, but Anorith did something Anorith does best: surprise everyone.

"Hey!" someone in the audience yelled. Anorith was in their lap, eating their popcorn. "Rith-rith," Anorith thanked the stranger. The man picked up Anorith and tossed him back onto the field. Bane stared for a moment, then looked over to the official.

The man in black-and-white stripes simply shrugged, so they moved on. "Anorith, bug bite!" Bane commanded. Anorith leaped at Donphan and bit its trunk.

"Donphan, defense curl!" Butch countered. Donphan rolled up into a ball, but Anorith didn't stop. He gnawed at Donphan like it was the popcorn he hadn't gotten. "Grr, try using rollout!"

Donphan immediately rolled forward, leaving Anorith twitching on the ground. Bane returned Anorith as the referee announced him unable to battle and asked Bane to choose his next pokemon. "Yeah, yeah, hold your Ponytas!" Bane shouted back. "Kick some butt, baby!" Bane said, releasing his Elekid.

"Bree-bree-bree!" Bane Jr. buzzed, sparks going between each horn.

Butch laughed uproariously as Bane and Elekid gave him identical glares. "That puny thing?" he mocked. "Not only is it puny, it's an electric-type!" He continued to laugh.

"…Kick his butt, Bane Jr." Bane told him seriously. Bane Jr. roared and rushed Donphan.

After a bit more laughing, Butch made a move. "Okay, Donphan, just use rollout." Donphan rolled into a ball and rolled out.

"Low kick, Bane Jr!" Bane shouted. Bane Jr. skid under Donphan and tripped the massive wheel, causing the elephant-pokemon to fly into the opposite wall. I believe Butch's mouth was hung open about half-a-foot.

Meanwhile, Ron was adjusting his notes madly and Alysson had just brought back some snacks. "What'd I miss?" she asked.

I took my bag of chips and ate a couple. "Oh, Bane Jr. knocked out Donphan," I said.

"How?" Alysson asked, eating some of her mashed potatoes.

"…Where in all of Kenewyore did you find a stand that sells mashed potatoes?" I asked, munching on some chips.

Alysson shrugged. "KFC – Kenewyore Fried Chicken," she answered.

I sighed and ate my chips as Butch returned his Donphan, clearly angered by being beaten by a baby pokemon. "I'll show you, ya' half-pint!" Butch shouted, releasing a Carracosta. "Carracosta, use iron defense!" Carracosta attained a silvery-metallic coating, which quickly faded, its effect now set.

"Bane Jr., use thundershock!" Bane countered. Bane Jr. let loose a bolt of electricity, but the attack didn't do as much damage as it should have. "Hey, what gives?" Bane shouts, Bane Jr. mimicking him.

Butch gives another booming laugh. "Super effective moves do squat to Carracosta! Hahahahahahahaa!" Butch taunts.

"Is that even possible?" Alysson asks.

I nod. "Yeah, I think that's what its ability does, or something," I replied. Sure, my dad's a pokemon researcher, but almost no one knows much about extinct pokemon.

"Solid rock," Ron added in. "One of my pokemon has the same ability."

"Which one?" I asked, curious to get a read on this guy.

"Not telling," he replied, going back to his studies.

It turned back to the screen and the battle further unfolded. "Bane Jr., dodge!" Bane shouted as Carracosta used rollout. Bane Jr. barely avoided the rolling shell. "Try low kick!" Bane Jr. waited until Carracosta got close, but Butch intervened.

"Carracosta, brine!" Butch shouted. Carracosta unrolled before Bane Jr. and shot a blast of briny water from its mouth. The Elekid was hit hard and knocked over to Bane.

"Bane Jr!" Bane shouted, checking out his pokemon. "You okay?" Bane Jr. struggled to get up. "Bane Jr., just stop," Bane told it. "It's over. Porygon can-" But he stopped as Bane Jr. leaped away and back into battle. "Bane Jr!" Bane shouted. "Get back here, now!"

The Elekid gave Bane a raspberry as Alysson and I watched from the waiting room. I looked at Alysson and said, "You know, they really are very similar."

"Oh, I quite agree," she answered, and we went back to watching the battle.

Bane Jr. was having difficulty dodging Carracosta's rollouts. "Bane Jr., stop!" Bane shouted angrily. "Just stop! You're gonna get hurt!"

Butch laughed. "Carracosta, use ancientpower!" he shouted. Bane's eyes widened. He grabbed Bane Jr.'s pokeball and tried returning Bane Jr., but Carracosta stepped in his way.

"Move, ya' overgrown sushi!" Bane shouted, trying to get a clear line of fire.

Carracosta groaned as parts of the rocky ground turned blue. "Carrrrrrrrr…" Several stones heaved themselves from the ground as Carracosta's eyes turned blue. "Costaaaa!" The rocks flung themselves at Bane Jr., but the little guy's got a lot of fighting spirit.

He jumped around the first few, then a couple hit him, knocking him over. "I said, move!" Bane shouted, trying to return his pokemon. Carracosta growled and shot a stone at Bane! Bane barely avoided the flying rock. "Hey, control your pokemon!" Bane shouted to Butch.

Butch merely continued that booming, obnoxious laugh that made even Alysson and I hate the guy. Bane was about to go onto the field, but suddenly, before Carracosta stood Bane Jr. "BREEEE!" the lightning pokemon shouted, electricity sparking furiously from its horns.

Carracosta roared at Bane Jr., but Bane Jr. replied by roaring back, as its body started to glow white! The audience gasped as Bane Jr.'s white form grew and expanded, creating an entirely new shape; Elekid evolved into Electabuzz! "BRRRRRR!" The newly evolved Bane Jr. roared, making Carracosta look like he'd pee himself.

"Bane Jr," Bane breathed in shock. He then gave an enormous smirk. "Fry that turtle!"

"Carracosta, stop it!" Butch shouted in a panic. "Use protect!" Carracosta put up a shield of green, but Electabuzz raised his fist and smashed the barrier with brick break! "Gahh!" Butch shouted, afraid.

"Give him your best shot, Bane Junior!" Bane Junior gathered electricity in his fist and shot an electro ball at Carracosta, shooting the prehistoric turtle back to the Mesozoic era!

Butch growled as he returned Carracosta and Bane Junior walked over to Bane. "I'm not done yet!" he shouted, pulling out his last pokemon. "Magnezone here'll-"

"You are _quite_ done!" came a shout from the sidelines. The referee had raised Bane's flag. "Entrant Bane is the winner of this match! Butch is disqualified for breaking rule 3-A: No pokemon may attack any trainers, even their own."

Butch sputtered as Bane and Bane Junior cheered. "Heck yeah!" Bane shouted. "We won!"

"Brr-brrzz, Bree brr!" Bane Junior mimicked, now just a foot-or-so shorter than Bane.

"Well, that was an eventful day, huh folks?" the announcer said over the intercom. "Now, let's let our contestants get a good rest because tomorrow, you'll see even more hopefuls vie for the prize of championship! Have a good evening, everyone!" And the stands started to empty.

"Well, that was something," I commented as Alysson and I got up. "Two disqualifications and a complete devastation."

"Not bad for the first day, huh?" Alysson asks me.

"You guys just wait," Ron says, packing up his PokePad. "Next round, I'm really gonna show you my stuff."

I chuckled. "Uh-huh," I said, walking out, followed by Alysson. "Well, we'll see ya' then." And with that, Bane, Alysson and I headed for the pokemon center to get some sleep.

**Bane: My Bane Jr. evolved into Electabuzz! WHOO-HOO!**

…

**Bane: …Seriously, dude, is it that bad?**

…**No. I actually haven't had finals yet; but I've been studying like crazy.**

**Bane: Like right now as you're writing your story?**

…**Shut it! Thank you people! Review, please!**


	53. Chapter 42: A Storm in the Arena!

_Uploaded Dec. 4__th__, 2012_

**And now, my reader people, another chapter, and another battle!**

With the rise of the sun came my appetite for battle. I jumped up and ran to get dressed as Bane awoke. He yawned as I put on my shirt. "What? Is there a fire, or something?" he asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Nope," I replied. "I just can't wait for today's battles!"

Bane got up and fell out of bed, waking Anorith, Shellder, Shiekire and Hitmonlee (yes, they slept outside of their pokeballs again). "...Well," Alysson, having just opened the door, said slowly. "That shows promise."

Bane grumbled and got up with Anorith hugging his leg. "Why are you here again?" he asked. "I thought we stopped traveling together?"

Alysson shrugged. "Just... felt like coming over, is all," she explained shyly.

I thought something might've been bothering her, but kept it to myself. "Well, time to go to the arena!" I announced in a Bane-like fashion.

"...You're rubbing off on him, you know," Alysson told Bane.

"Hmm," Bane pondered. "Never knew... Well, you know what they say: a river in New Jersey is like a farm on the moon."

Alysson and I, as well as all of our pokemon, stood utterly shocked by what had just forced its way out of Bane's mouth. We simply sat there as Bane got his clothes and went to the bathroom to change. "Too easy," he chuckled as he walked in.

Alysson was the first to leave as she simply left, leaving the door ajar. I continued to sit there, even after Bane came back. "...Why?" I asked out of partial curiosity and fear.

"Why what?" Bane asked back.

"Why... are your like you?" I finished, still offset by the earlier events.

He shrugged. "I guess it's genetic," he answered. "Ready to go?"

I nodded and got my jacket, then we returned our Pokemon (except for Hitmonlee, who walked) and walked out. Once at the arena, we bumped into Ron. "Howdy," he greeted, tipping his hat while still hiding his eyes. "Ready fer' yer' match, Storm?" he asked me. I nodded, fiercely determined to win that tournament. "Good luck," he said as he walked to the waiting room below ground.

I looked to Bane, hoping for some sort of guess as to Ron's short greeting. Bane just shrugged. "Bad fish last night?" he guessed. We laughed and Bane went to the waiting room as I prepared for my match.

The announcer greeted me, asked my name and my home town, as well as why Hitmonlee was walking beside me, and then directed me to a small tunnel, under which I would wait for the battle to be announced. As I stood there, I could hear the crowd's cheers at a deafening volume. My breathing sped up and I could feel sweat forming on my brow. Hitmonlee brought me out of it with a sharp "Mon!" I turned to him and he nodded. I smirked and nodded back.

I turned back to the opening, the light flooding into the tunnel from the arena. I could hear the announcer beginning his introductions. "Welcome, people of Pasturida, other residents of Kenewyore, and esteemed guest, Sir Barney Righton!"

Sir Barney was once again sitting at the front of the crowd, apparently. Once again, I'd like to remind you that having a highly esteemed knight of the King's Court watching my every move doesn't exactly comfort me. "In today's first match, please help me in welcoming Storm Craigson, a resident of our fair town of Puzzlin!"

Well, that was my cue. I walked into the light of the arena and was welcomed by screams and cheers from the audience. It was a bit humbling, really, to have all of these people here to watch me battle. "And," the announcer continued. "Menna Wellows, a visitor of the Sinnoh region!"

A young girl (basically one my age) walked out of the other end of the arena. She was pretty tall, African-American, had black hair and equally black eyes. She wore a red t-shirt with the Sinnoh National Symbol on it, jean capris and red-and-blue crocs. She also wore a white cap with a red pokeball-symbol on it and a pair of black, rounded-square fashion glasses.

"You ready?" Menna shouted, pointing at me.

I shrugged. "Not sure!" I shouted back with Bane in mind. "Give me a few minutes and I'll get back to you!"

She stood there in mild shock until the announcer spoke again. "Are the challengers ready?" he asked over the sound system.

Menna snapped out of it and pulled out a pokeball. "Ready!" she replied.

I pulled out one of my pokeballs and held it out. "Also ready!" I proclaimed. Ya'know, the word 'proclaimed' doesn't get used enough.

"Begin!" the ref shouted, swiftly waving both flags.

I chose Shellder and Menna released a Combee; a yellow pokemon made of three hexagonal comb-like parts with a face in each 'comb,' and a round, oval-shaped tail and two bug wings on its back. On another note of interest, the bottom comb had a red spot on it, showing that it was a girl.

Menna opened. "Combee, use bug bite!" Combee rushed at Shellder and the bottom head bit him.

"Shellder, spin!" There's really no need to say 'rapid spin' is there? He knows what I mean. Shellder spun and threw off the bug. "Now use icicle spear!" Shellder continued to spin and shot icicles from its horns, raining ice onto the bug and KOing it.

"Combee!" Menna shouted, her knees almost buckling. "Return!" She returned it to its pokeball as the official raised my side's green flag.

"Shellder wins round one, challenger pick your next pokemon!" he announced.

"Well, a quick win right out of the starting gates for Storm, from Puzzlin!" the announcer boomed. The crowd cheered and I was overwhelmed by the noise.

"Whoa," I breathed.

"Hey!" I turned to Menna's attention. She was holding her next pokeball – a great ball. "I'm not done yet! Grimer, go!" She released a Grimer – if you recall Gulka and her Muk, a Grimer is Muk's preevolution; basically a bit smaller – and immediately attacked. "Grimer, use toxic!" Grimer shot a purple liquid at the spinning Shellder, which bounced right off due to the friction.

It took a moment for everyone to process this dumb move, but we moved on. "Shellder, spinneedle!" I shouted. Shellder spun as its horns grew and rammed Grimer, doing little damage.

"Grimer, use mud slap!" Menna shifted. Grimer slapped the ground, throwing mud at Shellder and halting his spin. "Now use toxic again!" Grimer once again shot a purple liquid that hit Shellder this time, poisoning it.

"Shellder!" I cried out. I immediately returned my shellfish and the referee raised the red flag.

"Shellder has been recalled and is therefore out!" he decreed. "Round two to Menna!"

"Wait a second!" I shouted in surprise. "There's no subs in this tournament?" The referee shook his head 'no' and I facepalmed. "Good to know," I mumbled.

Menna waved to the audience, soaking up all the cheering. That really bugged me (still does, by the way). I pulled out my favorite pokemon and released Furyash.

"Fury!" it cried, strongly flapping its wings and bringing Menna back down to Pokearth. "Furyash!" Its cry was like the screech of a rising phoenix from the ashes.

Menna blinked a bit and her attitude became more serious. "Grimer, use mud slap!" she shouted.

As Grimer prepared, I countered. "Fly over it and use flamethrower, Furyash!" Furyash flew over the mud and shot a stream of fire at Grimer, turning the glob of goo into a purple caked sculpture.

"Grimer!" Menna shouted, copying her exact pose from before. She returned her pokemon as the official basically repeated his earlier comment and the announcer said more stuff. "Now I'm mad!" she shouted, bringing out her last pokeball.

"Luxray!" she shouted, releasing the blue lion-like pokemon that dwells in the Kirabor mountains. It gave a mighty roar as I steadied myself. _If I win this battle, I move on to the next round, _I reminded myself. _If I lose…_

"Furyash, use flamethrower!" Furyash flew at the Luxray at top speed.

"Luxray, use shock wave!" Menna countered. Luxray's fur sparked and a wave of electricity shot out in all directions, hitting Furyash and knocking it to the ground.

"Fuyash!" I shouted in shock. "Try to get up!" Furyash struggled to its feet, barely able to support itself.

"Luxray, wild charge!" Menna shouted. Luxray ran, gaining speed as well as a cloak of electricity, and slammed into Furyash, KOing my first pokemon. "Oh yeah!" Menna soaked up the audience's cheers.

I returned Furyash and thought over my options. _Shiekire's pretty good, but it's flying type is weak to Luxray. But…_ Hitmonlee made my decision, walking onto the field and stretching his legs. "Hit-_mon_-**lee**!" Hitmonlee declared, making Luxray's fur spark for some reason.

Menna chuckled. "Alright Luxray, ram him!" she declared. Luxray cloaked itself in electricity once more and ran. Hitmonlee stood with his arms crossed, waiting for the beast.

"…I don't even need to suggest it, do I?" I asked, already having an idea of what Hitmonlee was going to do. Hitmonlee shook his head and waited. As Luxray neared Hitmonlee leaped directly upward and shot his foot down as Luxray ran under him, burying the lion's head in the dirt. Hitmonlee landed gracefully and gave a stretch as Luxray attempted to pull its head out of the dirt.

Eventually the lion pulled itself out of the hole and shook the dirt from its mane. It growled at Hitmonlee. "How _dare_ you do that to my Luxray!?" Menna gritted her teeth. "Luxray, use shock wave!"

Luxray's fur sparked as it prepared. "Hitmonlee!" I shouted quickly. "You can't dodge it, so brace yourself!" Hitmonlee thought for a moment, then leaped into the air toward Luxray. Luxray shot its shock wave and Hitmonlee shot a blaze kick off, both hits connecting and knocking the pokemon onto their backs.

Both pokemon groaned as they lifted themselves to their feet weakly. "Come on, Hitmonlee!" I cheered.

"Luxray, get up!" Menna also cheered. "Come on! Get up, now!" Luxray and Hitmonlee staggered up then stared each other down.

A weak groan was heard as Hitmonlee began to fall forward as his eyes started to close. "Hitmonlee!" I called. Hitmonlee's eyes flew open as he caught himself on his knee. On the other side of the arena, Luxray fell to the ground.

Menna fell to her knees and shouted. "NOOOO!" She screamed at the sky. "My precious Luxray lost! Why? WHY!?"

The referee gave her a minute to whine, and then announced the results. "Hitmonlee is the winner of the round, and Storm Craigson is the winner!" The crowd cheered again as I stood there. Hitmonlee stood indifferently but I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I stood tall and pointed straight up. I wanted the crowd to cheer for the real winner.

**There you have it, folks! And now-**

**Bane: MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! BAGEL!**

…**Now what?**

**Bane: I've taken over your fanfic account!**

…**What?**

**Bane: And posted my own story! YAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! !#!**

…**Okay, fine, whatever. (looks at account...) HEY! You did! …What is it, anyways?**

**Bane: My Adventure to the Fifth Wall!**

**The lesser known, but more powerful, cousin of the fourth wall?**

**BANE; YES! AND I LOCKED THE CAPS LOCK, TOO! HAHAHA!**

…**Okay. You heard him, folks. If you want to read insanity personified, go check it out on my page.**

**BANE: OR ELSE! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

…**No more smarties for you.**

**BANE: SO YOU THINK!?&?!1!**


	54. Chapter 43: A Break With the Poke's!

_Uploaded December 16__th__, 2012_

**Well, here you are, my people! The next one!**

I walked into the waiting room, supporting Hitmonlee who once again refused to rest in the pokeball, and was greeted by a hearty scream from Bane. "That was so dang awesome!" he told me, giving me a high-five. "I mean, the way Hitmonlee fell and caught himself, and then when Luxray fainted on the other side. People couldn't write stuff like that!"

We simultaneously shot a glance at the author, who was scribbling something about the next Gym Leader. _**No breaking the fourth wall! **_he shouted. _**You're practically cracking the fifth, already.**_

"…Moving on!" Bane declared, bringing you back to the plotline. "Hitmonlee needs to get to the center." I agreed and we ran to the Pasturida Pokemon Center.

Alysson ran to meet us as we approached the desk. "Great match, Storm!" she congratulated.

I thanked her and the nurse came to the desk. "Hello, how may I help you?" She saw Hitmonlee and gasped. "Oh, you poor thing," she said sympathetically. She turned to me and glared (as much as a Nurse Joy can). "How could you let it get to this shape? And then make it walk here!"

"Hey, it's not his fault!" Bane defended. "Hitmonlee doesn't stay in its pokeball. I mean, look at it!" We turned to Hitmonlee, but he was gone. We looked and found him sitting on the nearby couch, trying, with difficulty, to meditate.

"Hitmonlee," I groaned. "You know that won't help those kinds of injuries, right?"

Hitmonlee remained silent as Bane sat nearby. "Come on, you're a pokemon, right?" he asked. I tried to stop the next part, but couldn't make it in time. "You're a pokemon, he's your trainer, therefore, you gotta do what he say-" Hitmonlee gave him a swift kick to the gut. "…Never mind," he said, in a very high-pitch, for some reason.

I sighed and sat across from Hitmonlee. "How long will it take you to heal this way?" I asked, going along for the moment. Hitmonlee held up three fingers, his eyes closed. "Three days?" Hitmonlee confirmed this with a nod and pained twitch. "Okay, prideful, stubborn, whatever you are, you've gotta admit you're in pain." He stayed silent, so I went on. "And you need help."

Hitmonlee snapped his head at me. "Hit-lee, MON!" he argued.

I glared at the stubborn fighting-type. "I don't care if you think it's a better method, it's not," I argued back. "Nurse Joy is a highly trained and licensed – oh wait, you don't really care about licenses, do you?" Hitmonlee shook his head. "Whatever, she's well trained and experienced. You need to put aside your anger against humans for a minute." He seemed surprised at that comment. I guess he didn't know I'd figured that out a while back. "You need help and, right now, a human is the most qualified one for the job. So, stop pouting and just take a helping hand, already!"

Hitmonlee recoiled slightly from my outburst, then thought over my words. It seemed like it was going to take some time, so Bane and I walked off to let him think. He stopped us part-way to the front desk and sighed, reluctantly joining us before the nurse. "Mooooooone," he conceded, sitting on the desk.

"Do you have any berries?" I asked the nurse. She nodded, typing Hitmonlee's info on the computer. "An Oran berry then, for my friend." Now this really surprised Hitmonlee. Seriously, I thought he was going to instantaneously grow a mouth, just so it could hit the floor.

Nurse Joy finished up and nodded. "No problem," she replied, taking Hitmonlee back to the care center. I heard her say, 'this way, sir,' as the automatic doors shut behind her.

I had already given my other pokemon to the nurse to take care of, and Bane an Alysson did the same, if only for a check-up. So, we went over to the TV and sat and watched it… **Though that was really boring, so let's watch something else, kay?**

**Moving into the care center, a few minutes later…**

Hitmonlee lay on a hospital table with bandages on his left leg and head; apparently the shock had done some bad damage since he was in close-range to Luxray's mane. On a nearby table were Furyash, who was sleeping, and Shellder, who was complaining about his bed.

"This thing is too high up!" he shouted. "I don't like heights! Someone lift me down! …Wait, who has arms?"

"I DOOO!" Anorith shouted from the nearby pool. It was an in-ground pool for water-types, but Shellder had glue healing a crack in his shell, so he wasn't allowed in for another half-hour.

"…Anypoke else?" Shellder asked, looking around.

Porygon turned to stare at Shellder from a nearby countertop. "The only pokemon in the room that could assist you are Furyash, Shiekire and Woobat, Hitmonlee, myself, and Bane Junior."

"…Well?" Shellder asked. "Help me!"

"No one is able to, at the moment," Porygon said. Shellder was about to yell some more, but Porygon interceded. "And, for the sake of the residents of the center, I will explain why. Furyash is asleep, and sustained injuries in his match; he needs his rest. Shiekire and Woobat would have to work together to lift you, and then there's still the risk of them dropping you and your sustaining further injuries to your crack."

Shellder looked at the crack in the front of its top shell and shook itself. "Nah, they won't be able to. I'm all muscle."

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Anorith burst out, waking the sleeping pokemon. "All MUSCLE! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! He's a shellfish! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Water-types! AHAHAHA-" And Anorith promptly fell asleep.

"…You were saying?" Furyash said to Porygon.

"Ah, yes." Porygon nodded. "Bane Jun-… Wait, you were awake this whole time?" Porygon asked the crimson firebird.

"Yes," Furyash replied. "But you were right; that match took a lot out of me." Furyash gave a screeching yawn. "Please continue."

"…I can tell that you've matured quite a lot, Furyash," he told him.

"Hey!" Shellder reminded him. "On top of a wheelie cart, here!" The table Shellder was on had started moving. Granted, it was going slower than a lazy Slugma, but it _was_ moving. "Help me!" Porygon thought for a moment. "Help me _NOW_! Now, I command!"

Porygon sighed and poked Bane Junior. The Electabuzz gave a stretch and scratched his back. "Yeah, Pory?" he asked, still child-like at heart.

"Pick up Shellder, please," Porygon directed, pointing to the complaining shellfish.

"Okey-dokey-doo!" Bane Junior replied, getting up and picking up Shellder. "Done!"

Porygon nodded as Shellder began relaxing. "Good. Now, please stop the table from rolling."

"Okay!" Bane Junior pushed the bed-table up against a wall, halting its momentum. "Done, 2!" he exclaimed. "Now what?"

"Now we put Shellder on the floor, gently," Porygon added on memory to the last time Bane Junior had been holding Shellder, back when he was an Elekid. Bane Junior gently lowered Shellder near to the floor, then dropped him not-so-gently.

"Hey, be careful!" Shellder said to the big child pokemon. "I'm not a Clamperl, or something with a hard shell. I'm a soft shell."

The other pokemon all laughed at this, making Shellder go on a tantrum again. Hitmonlee, however, did not laugh; he lay on his bed, looking at his Oran berry. "Lee?" Furyash asked, bringing the fighting-type's attention to him. "You okay?"

All of the other pokemon were staring at Hitmonlee, so he took a bite of his berry and shut his eyes. "What's wrong?" Bane Junior asked him. "Berry bad?"

Hitmonlee sighed and leaned up. "No, the berry's fine," he replied.

"Then what's wrong?" Anorith asked from the ceiling fan… which was turned on. "WHEEEEEEEEEE!"

"…I thought you fell asleep," Shellder said from near the pool.

Porygon floated into Shellder's path. "You are not allowed into the pool until twenty-four more minutes have passed," he told Shellder. "Please back away."

"But I need water!" Shellder said. "I'm a water-type! We need water! Don't you have a brain in that big, weird-shaped head?"

Porygon turned to Anorith. "Anorith, could you please give Shellder some water?" he asked. Shellder tried to protest, but was immediately silenced by a water gun that avoided the glue-filled crack. "Is that better?" Porygon asked Shellder, who replied with a stone-cold glare. "Thank you, Anorith."

"Yippidy-dippers!" Anorith replied, still spinning. "I see shiny lights! And legendary pokemon! OOH, I SEE ELVIS! HI ELVY! How's bubbles?"

"…Anorith, you knew Elvis Presley's pet Mankey?" Shellder asked the prehistoric shrimp-pokemon-thing.

"Yep!" Anorith replied, spinning faster. "And my name is not Anorith, it is King Pompadour, the forty-fourthetheth!" Porygon turned the fan off and Anorith fell onto the floor. "**WHEEE**EEEEeeeeee…" Anorith passed out.

"…Good grief, what the Bouffalant was that about?" Shiekire asked the other pokemon.

"…You actually talked," Shellder stated.

"That's the first thing you've ever said to us," Bane Junior added happily. "Yay! He learned talk! …But what move did you choose to forget?"

"…Ignoring the reference," Shiekire said. "I've always been able to talk, but there was never a need before-…"

"Before what?" Furyash asked him. Shiekire shot a nervous glance toward Woobat, who was talking to Alysson's other pokemon.

"Ahh," Shellder said in understanding. "Shieky and Wooby, hangin' from a tree, K-I-"

Shiekire hissed and smacked Shellder, shutting him up, thought mostly because Shellder's shell had involuntary shut, snapping his tongue. "OW!" Shellder yelled. "You bade be bite by tongue!" Shellder said in swollen toungue language. "I'b gonna get you!"

At that moment, the nurse walked in, prompting everyone to fake sleep. "Aw, they're so quiet," the nurse whispered. "I'll let them rest a bit longer." She quietly closed the door back.

As soon as her footsteps echoed away, the group of pokemon went back to whatever they were doing before. As the scene exits, Hitmonlee thinks and eats his berry. _…He called me his friend._

**No, it isn't the longest chapter, but I had fun with it.**

**Bane: My story has another chapter! **

…**Yes, people liked it, so I'm allowing more to be written. By the way, have you people noticed that I've been in a slightly insane frame of mind, lately?**

**Bane: Always, buddy.**

…**Well, the BAFW story is my outlet. *smirks viciously* Enjoy… Oh yeah, in this story's news, I'm considering making a pole.**

**Bane: OOH! What about?**

**About which pokemon of our heroes' is people's favorite. More for curiosity's sake than anything else. But first I have to find out how to make a pole.**

**Bane: Are you spelling that right? I think you mean poll.**

**No, I mean… Shut it like a Trapinch!**

**Bane: …Meh. Make Anorith more prominent!**

**No. He's nuts… Although…**


	55. Chapter 44: A Walkabout

_Uploaded December 29__th__, 2012_

**Behold, chapter 44! Observe, my people, and like it!**

**Bane: …Really, dude?**

…**Shouldn't you be invading Switzerland or something?**

**Bane: No. I've already looked there. READ MY STORY, PEOPLE!**

We departed the center upon receiving our pokemon, with Hitmonlee once again walking beside us, good-as-new. He was currently throwing punches into the wind to practice. "You know some punching moves?" I asked it out of curiosity. It nodded and went back to punching. "Cool."

"So, what do you guys wanna do?" Alysson asked us.

"Well-" Bane's reply was cut short, however, by a scream from two blocks away. "Find out what the Hilbert that was!" he said, running toward the sound of the shrieking.

"Hilbert?" I asked as we ran.

"The name of the AI of the main character of Pokemon Black and White 1!" he replied, nearing the source of the sound. "Oh, not you again!" Bane shouted upon seeing Donny Dumplin, a member of the 'New Varangians'.

The scene was an odd one, though not quite as odd as Donny's name. Donny stood before a young woman who was screaming, with a Golbat on his shoulder and a great ball in his hand. "Oh no!" he shouted as he spotted us. "You three? What are you doing here?"

"Being meddling kids," Bane answered with a smirk. It turned to a frown. "Now, what are _you_ doing here?"

Donny stuttered, but the young lady answered. "He took my Mareep!" she shouted.

"Shut it!" Donny yelled, his Golbat adding a threatening look. "It's now the property of the New Varangians!"

"Hitmonlee," I whispered. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Hitmonlee answered by leaping up and launching his leg at Donny, smacking his face. "GAH!" Donny began flailing around in pain and dropped the great ball. Donny reached to pick it up, but a hole opened beneath the pokeball. "…What the Durant!?" Donny shouted, looking down the hole. A water gun splashed him in the face.

Nearby, Bane reached down a similar hole and pulled out Anorith, along with the great ball. "Nicely done, buddy," he congratulated the shrimpy-thing. "Now let's get him!" Anorith leapt to the ground. "Anorith, use water gun on Golbat!" Anorith began to shoot a stream of water that Golbat dodged.

"You…" Donny growled. "You meddling brats!"

"Meddling _kids_," Bane corrected.

"Grrahh! Golbat, use poison fang!" Golbat flew at Anorith, picked it up with purple teeth, and bit down.

"Anorith!" Bane shouted.

"Hitmonlee, help Anorith!" I said. Hitmonlee ran over and gave Golbat a blaze kick, freeing Anorith and throwing the bat-pokemon through the air. "Nice hit!" Hitmonlee nodded and I could've sworn it said something akin to 'thanks'.

"No!" Donny shouted. "No, no, no! Why did you have to come in and mess everything up?" He ran away again, quickly recalling Golbat. "We'll meet again!"

"…Wasn't he just complaining about the fact that we _did_ meet again?" Bane asked. Alysson and I laughed as he returned the great ball to the young lady.

"Oh, thank you all!" the young lady shouted, holding the pokeball close. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"You're welcome," Bane told her, turning to leave.

"Wait!" the young lady stopped us. "How can I repay you?"

Bane thought for a moment then smirked and turned to her. "Just be a bit more careful and train some of your pokemon for battle, kay?" he said.

She nodded. "I will! Thank you again!"

We separated and headed for the center…I guessed…honestly, I had no idea. We were really just walking around the city. "Wow," Alysson commented to Bane. "I didn't expect you to do that."

"Do what?" Bane asked.

"To give her advice," she replied. "I thought you'd ask for money or food or something."

"Speaking of which," Bane said, pointing one finger dramatically ahead. "There's a Burger Slowking straight ahead with my name on it! Burger, HO!" He ran very, very fast. So fast, in fact, that he ran into the automatic doors before they opened and fell onto the floor. As we approached, the doors slowly slid open.

I chuckled as we walked over Bane, into the restaurant. The doors slid closed as Bane sat up. "OPEN!" he shouted at the doors. Surprisingly, they did. "…HAH!" He walked in as Porygon, who had used his techno-abilities to open said doors, floated through behind him.

We were looking through the menu when Bane and Porygon approached. The guy at the register looked at Porygon and Hitmonlee. "Umm, excuse me?" he asked. "You'll have to put them in your pokeballs." He was gesturing to Porygon and Hitmonlee.

The pokemon seemed slightly annoyed, but remained quiet. "Well, Hitmonlee doesn't really go in his pokeball," I told the middle-aged man.

"And why should I put Porygon in his pokeball?" Bane challenged. "Give me one good reason!"

The man pointed to a small sign on the wall which read, 'No Pokemon Allowed! No Exceptions!' "What!?" Bane shouted enraged. The pokemon added angry shouts to the chorus.

"Okay, everyone just calm down!" I ordered. They withheld themselves. I turned to the register guy. "Why aren't pokemon allowed?"

"Manager's rules," the man replied with a shrug. "Sorry, I don't mind, but the boss is the boss."

At that precise moment, a man in a dress shirt walked out from the back of the kitchen. "What going on, Bill?" he asked the man. Upon seeing the pokemon he reeled back. "Get those disgusting things _out_ of my establishment!" he roared.

Oh, that did it. I quickly restrained Hitmonlee, who was trying to fire kick after kick at the manager as Bane quickly returned Porygon, who was beginning to charge a flash barrage. "Hey, there's no need to say things like that!" I said with some difficulty. "Hitmonlee, chill out!"

"Bach!" the man scoffed. "To those germ-ridden creatures? Why on Pokearth not?" Now Hitmonlee was thrashing.

"Calm down!" I tried to control him, but it was getting hard. "If you don't want your rear served to you on a silver platter, you ought to apologize to Hitmonlee!"

"Hah!" the man laughed. "Not a chance! Get out of my establishment or else!"

"Dude!" Bane shouted, having trouble even holding Porygon's pokeball shut. "You're a fat, old guy and these are super powerful, extremely ticked off pokemon! Who do you think is in a better position here?"

The man snapped his fingers and a Cinccino walked out from his office, behind the kitchen. I couldn't hold him any longer and Hitmonlee leaped from my arms. "Cinccino, use bullet seed!" the manager commanded. Cinccino used a bullet seed that threw Hitmonlee to the opposite wall.

"Hey!" Bane shouted as I checked Hitmonlee. "What the Heracross is that about!? You can have pokemon, but no one else can?"

The man smiled smugly. "Actually, Cinccino is a very clean pokemon," he said with pride. The Cinccino stood tall with pride. "Heck, the health department gave me bonus points for having one! See?" He pointed to the certificate on the wall which had '110%' written in large, red letters.

"…What the heck?" Bane asked the air.

"Now," the manager slammed his hands on the counter. "Get outta my restaurant!" We gave him angry glares and left.

As Bane exited, though, he peaked his head back in and said, "I thought it was an establishment?" He quickly ducked out as a bullet seed hit the wall behind him.

"The nerve of that guy!" Alysson said as we walked back to the center. "No pokemon? That's like saying 'don't bring your best friend!' Or your spleen!"

"Or your gallbladder," Bane added. "That's important, too."

Hitmonlee remained silent. "Hey, Hitmonlee?" I asked. No reply. "You okay?"

"…MON!" he suddenly shouted. He ran over to a nearby tree and gave it a powerful mega kick, pulling the roots from the ground and knocking the tree over.

We stood in shock for a moment as Hitmonlee walked back. "…Feel better?" I asked him. He nodded. "Good." People started gathering around the tree and asking what happened. "Now let's go!"

We ran to the center and got our food. I'd give specifics or a list, but there are too many mouths to feed and list. "I still don't like it," Alysson muttered once we were seated. "What gives him the right to reject pokemon like that?"

I sighed and began to eat. "Well, it stinks horrifically," I agreed. "But, what are ya' gonna do?"

"Oh, believe me," Alysson said. "I'll be having my dad's lawyers contact him _very_ soon." And with a devious chuckle and smirk, she ate her sandwich.

After a moment, I started up a new conversation. "So, Bane?" I asked my friend. "Anymore news about the town Gym Leader?"

He shrugged, swallowing a burrito whole. "Nothin'," he said with a groan. "And why don't they have antacids here?" He burped a loudly burped burp. "…'Scuse me," he said quietly.

Alysson sighed. "Why do we have to put up with you?" she asked aloud.

"You don't," Bane reminded her. "What's with you? You act like we still travel together." Alysson twiddled her fingers. "Alysson?" he asked with suspicion.

"I want us to travel together again!" she blurted out.

It took us a moment to process (and understand) her words. "What?" I asked, not sure I had heard her right.

"I want us to travel together," she said at a more even speed. "I missed you guys like five minutes after I left… Even you, Bane."

Bane's head snapped up in shock. "Seriously?" he asked in amazement. "You missed _me_?"

Alysson shuddered. "I know, right?" Bane wasn't entirely sure how to take that. "So, what do you think?"

I smiled. "We'd be thrilled to have you back," I said happily.

She smiled. "Really?" she asked, then turned to Bane. "You too, Bane?"

Bane opened his mouth with a dull look. "Well, actually-" Then I stomped on his foot. "YOW!" he exclaimed, glaring at me. I, meanwhile, had not changed my expression since I had answered Alysson. "…Yeah," he admitted begrudgingly. "Besides, I can't read your stupid book, anyway." He pulled her book out of his pack and threw it to Alysson, who caught it with joy.

"Awesome!" she shouted. "Team Storm is back together!" Bane and I gave her odd looks. "What?" she asked, looking between us. "It just kinda… fits."

Bane contemplated this, then nodded. "Yeah, it does," he agreed. "Can I make one little change, though?"

"What?" Alysson asked.

Bane then did something that, for some reason, I didn't see coming. He jumped onto the table and struck a pose. "Team Banestorm of Alyssonocity!" he decreed with pride. He turned to see our reactions, but was met with solitude. Alysson and I had gathered our things and began walking out of the center. "Hey!" Bane started running after us, shaking a food wrapper off of his foot. "Wait for me!"

**Well, here you go, people. **

**Bane: Yup. Aly's back!**

**Alysson: It's **_**Alysson**_**, not **_**Aly**_**.**

**Storm: Personally, you always struck me as more of an Alysson than an Aly.**

**Bane: Really? It's kind of the opposite for me.**

**Alysson: Why?**

**Bane: Cause you look Aly-ish-like.**

**Alysson: …Well, I'm starting to get used to you, so that actually isn't all that bad.**

**Bane: It was a compliment.**

**Storm: Really?**

**Bane: Did you just say that so that you'd have another line?**

**Storm: No. I said it because I'm trying to learn to speak 'Bane.'**

**Bane: …Meh. I'm cool with that… Hey, Halestorming! I just looked in your computer and noticed something! You don't have the next chapter written yet!**

**Storm & Alysson: *GASP***

**Oh, chill out, people. I'm getting to it. That's why it took me so long to post this one.**

**Bane: …So you are still writing it?**

**It is in constant brainstorm and progress. I actually have several ideas I'm working with in my head. But, we should probably finish this now.**

**Bane, Storm, and Alysson: Read and review, fanfictioners!**


	56. Chapter 45: Round 2 of the Tournament!

**I'm back, my subjects!**

**Bane: You're not a king, you know.**

**Maybe not, but I'll consider the position if asked by enough people. Here it is!**

Well, with time to spare and boredom at our heels, we decided to ask around about the Gym. "Gym Leader?" the first man we asked replied. "We don't have one of those, do we dear?"

His wife shrugged. "If we do, I've never heard of him," she agreed. "Come on, dear, we'll be late for the show." So, we continued our search by splitting up and asking around the city, keeping an eye out for the Gym at the same time. After an hour of asking and getting nothing, we stopped to discuss our findings… or lack thereof.

"I got less than a Magikarp," Bane said. "You guys?"

"Nothing," I replied, drinking my diet cola. We were sitting at a patio table outside a Taco Bellsprout, having already had the bad experience at Burger Slowking. "Alysson?"

She chuckled and Bane and I snapped toward her. "She knows something," Bane hissed. "What do you know!?"

"Firstly," Alysson started. "Back off!" Bane had crawled onto the table and his face was in Alysson's face. Also, his knee was in her taco salad. "And you owe me a salad… Secondly, I asked around and one guy told me, 'to find the Gym, you must look beyond what you see'."

"…Who did you talk to? Rafiki?" Bane asked.

I shushed him. "Continue, please," I gestured to Alysson.

"…That's it," she said. "That's the only thing we've got. I know it's not much,-"

"Not much?" Bane interrupted. "It's nothing."

Alysson sighed. "Do you have any better ideas?"

Bane shrugged. "Randomly walk around town?" he asked.

"Seriously?" Alysson asked. Bane nodded and Alysson sighed. "Fine, we'll randomly walk about the whole city of Pasturida, looking for a Gym Leader that we don't know. Happy?"

Bane nodded. "Generally speaking, yes; I like to think so."

And so, we headed out to search the town, finding basically nothing but some stores, which Alysson loved, a movie theater, which Bane insisted on going into, and a glass painting in the town square, which I was admiring at that point.

"It's nice," Alysson commented. "Very well made."

I nodded. "Yeah, the design is beautiful." It was a flock of rare pokemon called 'Butterfree' flying over a plain.

Bane groaned. "Can we leave the stupid painting now!?" he shouted. "It's not helping us find the Gym Leader!"

Alysson glared at him. "We let you buy your popcorn at that theater, let us look at a painting for ten minutes!" He shut up. Alysson turned to me and saw that I was looking to the side. I could have sworn I saw someone, or some_thing_, watching us from behind some trees. "Storm?" Alysson had brought my focus off the strange sighting. "What's up?"

I shook my head. "Thought I saw something," I said, shrugging it off. "No big deal…" Although it did seem to stick with me, even as we returned to the Pokemon Center.

"Evenin'," Ron greeted us as we entered. "Didn't know you guys were staying here."

"Well, duh," Bane replied, walking past him to the counter.

"Sorry about… him," I said to Ron.

"No worries, buddy," he replied, waving it off. "Hakuna Matata."

"Hunky-tuna Tostada?" Bane asked upon returning. "Don't you read? That ain't good for you."

We laughed at Bane's joke and Ron gave a stretch. "Hey, y'all?" he began. "Do any of ya' know where the Gym in this town is?"

"Unfortunately, no," Alysson replied. "We've been looking for it all morning. I'm not sure there even is one."

"Oh, there is," Ron said. "A friend a' mine's been there and lost. It sounded pretty tough, so I wanted to give it a shot."

"What pokemon do they use!?" Bane immediately demanded.

"…Normal-types," Ron replied, taking a step away from Bane.

"Huh," I replied. "Well, Hitmonlee should have some fun with that." Said fighting-type shrugged and began punching the air out of boredom. "…Do we really bore you that much?" I asked him. He nodded.

I sighed and turned back to the group. "Well, personally, my goal," Ron began. "Is to challenge His Majesty, himself."

Okay, I think my eyes fell out of their sockets right there. "What?" Bane asked quietly, also dumbfounded by the suggestion.

"You're not serious, are you?" Alysson asked the brazen guy.

Ron nodded. "I am indeed," he replied, lazily spinning one of his pokeballs on his finger. "What? Don't ya' know?" We exchanged glances and didn't answer, so he went on. "Well, ya' know about the Kenewyore Gauntlet League, right?"

We, of course, knew what that was. The Gauntlet League is like the Indigo Plateau of Kanto, the Silver Conference of Johto, etc… basically, the Pokemon League final tournament. Everyone who obtains the minimum 8 badges needed to enter is allowed to participate in this most momentous occasion. However, I had to wonder what that had to do with the King. I mean, he attends the tournament, along with his knights, but…

"Well," Ron continued. "It's not often talked about, but the winner of the tournament is given the right to challenge the Four Knights, as well as His Majesty, if they defeat the knights." Well, I can tell you that this was news to me.

"No way!" Bane shouts with that smirk of his. Well, I knew what was coming next. "That's it! My new goal is now to win the Gauntlet League!" he announced. "But, first, the Pasturida one."

"Well, our matches are about to be announced," Ron said. "That's where I was headed. Wanna come?"

We agreed and went straight to the Tournament Hall. Once there, we walked into the stairway and-

"Oh, hello there!" Barney, one of the Four Knights of Kenewyore, greeted us on the stairs. I froze, I think Alysson also froze, Bane coughed up his left lung, and Ron sputtered. "I saw your matches and must say I think you did well!"

Normally I would've thanked him for the compliment… Today was no different. "Thank you, sir," I said quietly. I think I squeaked.

He nodded back. "Well, good luck to all. Though only one of you can win the tournament, I pray you will all gain something from the experience." And with that he left us.

We waited a moment, then began going down the stairs. "Well, waddaya know," Ron commented. By the way, ever since we saw him at the center he was still wearing his hat over his eyes. He now lifted it as he spoke. "I thought for sure…" he trailed off.

"Man, now I'm pumped!" Bane announced, more eager than a Bidoof. "Okay, who wants to fight?"

"Just wait for the standings, doofus," I laughed out. We went downstairs and found that we were the only ones there. We watched as the screen came on.

"_Aaaaaaand, welcome back!_" the announcer boomed as the audience cheered. We watched with rapt attention as the screen opened on the shining sun and panned onto the arena field. _"Our great competitors have been turned from a crowd of 16 to a pool of 8! Now it is time to view the next pairings!"_ The crowd cheered as the random sorter flashed the contestants' pictures on the eight contestant boxes in the lower-middle row. They stopped.

"_Okay!"_ the announcer boomed. _"The first match is Bane, of Solatropia, up against miss Blossom Branch!"_

Bane began to cheer, but then something clicked in his head. "…Who?" he asked after a moment.

"Blossom Branch," I repeated as Alysson and I looked for us on the chart. "Unusual na- There's me!" I shouted, spotting myself on the board. "I'm up against some guy with a long beard… I think I'm up against Albus Dumbldore."

The others laughed as Alysson pointed out herself. "Found me!" she said. "I'm up against… Some girl with a flowery hat." I saw that, indeed, she was up against some girl in a flowery hat.

"Well, looky there," Ron said, lifting his hat. "Hey, guys, you know who that is?" He pointed at the picture beside his own.

I stared in disbelief as I recognized the face. "No… way…" I said quietly.

"Rocky!?" Bane shouted, staring at what appeared to be the picture of the Ironhill Gym Leader on the board. "This is what he's been doing!?" Bane began to fume. "Oh, he owes me a match, big time!"

Ron looked at us oddly, which may have just been because his hat was lifted and I wasn't used to his onyx eyes yet. "You all know him?" he asked.

I pulled my jacket open and showed him me badges, including the Stalwart Badge I had earned from Rocky… It had only been a few days, but I felt like I had come so far since then. "Yep," I replied. "I battled him a little while ago, then he went off for some reason. I think he said he needed to… 'discover himself,' or something?"

"He was afraid of me!" Bane announced. "The coward knew he stood no chance and so-…" Bane stopped and took a couple of breaths. "…Well, I'll go find him after my match," he decided, walking out.

"…Well, that was a bit odd," Alysson commented. "Any ideas?"

"He's Bane," I said bluntly. "You don't have to understand him, he just does stuff."

We didn't have to wait long, as Bane was walking onto the field as Alysson brought our snacks over. "Oh, good; I'm not late," she said as she sat next to me. Ron pulled out his PokePad and began taking notes again.

The other person, the girl in the flowery dress from yesterday, walked onto the stage opposite. "Bane, ready?" the referee asked. Bane nodded. "Blossom, ready?" The girl, Blossom, nodded. "Begin!"

Bane tossed out Anorith and the girl released a Sudowoodo. "Anorith, use dig!" Bane directs.

Anorith burrows underground as the girl… well, she really didn't do that much. "Umm… Birchy? Could you try to use dig, too?"

'Birchy' dug underground, leaving everyone with nothing to watch. "…Well, this is boring," I commented. "Do you think-"

I stopped as a scream was heard from the audience. We looked and the camera turned to a person running into the stands, screaming, "Help! Help! Someone took my pokemon!"

**Suspense! Thrills! Theft!**

**Bane: My pancreas!**

…**Evildoing! Here, my friends! I'm back, and better than ever! And now you shall see it in evidence!**

**Bane: Read, people who love Storm, Alysson and me! Cuz you ain't gonna find us in many other places… Except maybe in FunFanFicForYou's stories.**


	57. Chapter 46: New Varangians and Villainy!

_Uploaded January 15__th__, 2013_

**BREAKING NEWS, POKEMON FANS! Seriously, listen up, everyone!**

**Bane: What? Did they announce Generation 6, or something?**

**YES!**

**Bane: …No stinkin' way!**

**Oh, there's a stink all right! And it's in the form of the three starters, two legendary's and the fact that GENERATION 6'S MAIN GAMES WILL BE ALL 3D!**

**Bane: …Dude…Epic…**

**Yeah! Remember how I had complained about there not being a Generation 5 Pokemon Stadium-like game?**

**Bane: Do I? You wouldn't shut up for like three days.**

**Don't start that! Anyways, now I know why! THESE GAMES – Pokemon Version X and Pokemon Version Y – BRING IN 3D BATTLES!**

**Bane: …You're really excited, aren't you?**

**Duh, stupid! I've spent the entire intro on it, haven't I?**

Well, that got us moving. Alysson, Ron and I all got up and ran out of the waiting area. Just outside the arena, we met up with Bane and Rocky, who was in his brown, sleeveless vest with black t-shirt underneath, jeans with brown boots, and goggles on the top of his head. "Hey," Rocky greeted upon seeing me. "I'd love to chat, but we gotta take care of this first."

"Quite right." We turned and saw Sir Barney Righton coming out of the arena gates. "I've calmed the crowd a good bit, and they've agreed to remain seated while I look for the culprits."

"Well, let us help!" Bane ordered. We all gave a chorus of agreement, demanding to be allowed to help until Barney raised his hand for silence. "Very well," he agreed with a smirk. "You may all help. Now, the young lady who's pokemon were stolen from her said four oddly dressed people in 'chain mail' took her pokemon. This should make them easy to find."

"We've seen them," I announced, drawing surprise from Rocky, Ron and Barney. "Well, we've seen one," I corrected myself.

"He said his name was Donny Dumplin," Alysson added. "And that he was a member of the 'New Varangians,' or something."

"And he tried to steal a kid's egg and a girl's Mareep," Bane added. "Rotten pile of Rapidash manure."

Barney nodded. "Very well," he started. "Since you know what we're dealing with, you may lead the way." Okay, I know I've mentioned being shocked by stuff already, but being told to lead a knight in pursuit of pokemon thieves… Honestly? I kind of felt like a superhero. What? Even teens can have some fun with this sort of stuff.

"There!" Ron shouted, pointing down an alley. I looked just in time to see the tell-tale chain mail of a tunic disappearing behind a corner.

Bane then led the chase whilst shouting, "Tally-ho!" and humming the tune referred to as 'Charge!'

As we ran in pursuit, Rocky turned and asked me something. "Hey Storm?"

"Yeah?" I replied, trying not to lose focus on my target while still listening.

"Is he always like this?" He was, of course, referring to Bane, whom was now carrying Anorith under one arm, like a football.

"Yes," I replied bluntly. I think that really surprised him, because he began to fall back for a moment. Soon, however, we caught sight of the vandals.

"Anory, harden!" Bane shouted, pulling Anorith back in his hand as though… no…

"He's not really-" But I watched in utter disbelief as Bane threw Anorith at the fleeing thieves, until it collided with the back of one's head, allowing their face to make friends with the stone street.

"What the Hippowdon!?" one shouted upon seeing his downed comrade. He looked up and we saw it was none other than Donny Dumplin, himself. "You!" he shouted upon catching sight of us. "Again!?"

The thieves and our search party stopped and faced each other. "Who are you!?" another of Donny's tunic-wearing cohorts demanded. "Bah! Just get lost, losers!" She was a young lady (although I wouldn't call her that) about 18 or so, with short, red hair that wore the same thing as Donny; a chain mail tunic over a pair of black, leather leggings, and black leather boots, as well as that belt with a large upside-down raindrop and the numbers '6370' on it. Oh yeah, she also had the green ring with 'NV' on it.

The guy who's head Anorith collided with began to get up. "Oww… What hit me?"

"This thing," Donny said, picking up Anorith. As you can imagine, Anorith did not like being called a _'thing'_ and so clicked his pincers then leaped onto Donny's screaming face.

The girl sighed as the other guy (the one Anorith hit) slowly got up. He then plucked Anorith off of Donny's face and threw it back at Bane, who caught it. "Hey!" Bane shouted at the guy. "Be more careful, you thief!"

"Thief!?" the young man exclaimed. He looked like an early twenty-something and had short, flat, yet styled, black hair along with the same outfit that we assumed by now was the uniform of the New Varangians. "I am no thief, you fool! Who are you, anyway?"

"Those are the twerps who ruined my other missions!" Donny told them. "And stopped me from getting the egg!" Oh yeah, I never mentioned what Donny looked like, aside from the uniform, did I? Well, he had very short, brown hair and a small, short-trimmed goatee of the same color.

"What?" the girl asked, her eyes going wide. She then turned to us with a scowl. "By order of the New Varangians, hand over the egg at once!" she demanded.

Bane shrugged and pulled out a pokeball. "Alright," he almost sang with a smirk. "If you insist." He then let out Bane Junior, whom, if you recall, hatched from the egg Donny had tried to steal from Serena's brother.

"Yo, Junior?" Bane began, talking to his pokemon. "You remember how I told you someone really, really bad tried to steal you from us as an egg?" Bane Junior nodded, a cute little, saddened look on his face. Ban then pointed to Donny. "That's the guy who tried."

Bane Junior looked at Bane's finger, then at Donny. "…BRRRREEEEEEE!" the Electabuzz shouted, raising its fists and charging like a bullet train at the poor man.

Donny squealed like a girl and threw out his Bonebrain. "Bonebrain, use night shade!" Bonebrain sent a shadow at Electabuzz, but as the shadowy form started to rise, Bane Junior stepped on it, pushing it back down and punched Bonebrain, throwing it into Donny and sending the two reeling!"

The other guy sighed. "You're hopeless, Donny, you know that?" he said with a shake of his head.

Donny got up angrily. "Oh shut it, Jackie!" he replied.

Jackie then turned to the girl. "Shall we deal with this, Tessa?" he asked her.

Tessa nodded. "Let's," she replied, pulling out a pokeball as Jackie did the same. "Go!" they shouted in unison, releasing two Bonebrain. "Use rock throw, Bonebrain!" the likewise ordered together. Both Bonebrain threw rocks at Bane Junior.

"Hitmonlee, block 'em!" I defended. Hitmonlee kicked the rocks into dust.

Suddenly, a Lampent and Rhyhorn were beside us. "Well, we can't let you have all the fun, can we?" Rocky asked as he and Ron joined us.

"Sir Barney," Ron started. "If it pleases your knightship, I think we can handle it from here."

Barney nodded, stepping back a bit. "Well, Rocky?" Ron began. "You are the Rock-type expert? How do we handle a team of Bonebrain?"

Rocky chuckled a bit. "Well, Bane's Electabuzz and my Rhyhorn have ways to do super effective hits, and I think Lampent and Hitmonlee should be fine," he started. "But, Storm, watch out for the flying-type moves, and Ron, you should watch its rock-typing."

"Duly noted," Ron said, lifting his hat just enough to see (he had apparently lowered it when we left the stadium). "Lampent, use shadow ball!" Lampent shot off a shadow ball, separating the boney bird pokemon.

"Hitmonlee, go after Jackie's!" I directed. Hitmonlee sprinted toward the bird.

"Bonebrain, ancientpower, go!" Jackie ordered. His Bonebrain's shallow eyes glowed a mysterious blue and stones began to lift from the ground, hurling themselves at Hitmonlee.

"Lee, try to shatter them!" I shouted as the stones neared. "We can't let them go flying in this populated an area!" Lee expertly shattered each stone with amazing accuracy, leaving no stones.

Meanwhile, Bane Junior was taking on Tessa's Bonebrain. "Bane Junior, use thunderpunch!" Bane shouted. Bane Junior reeled back his fist and ran at the bird.

"Bonebrain, dodge it and use bite!" Tessa ordered. Bonebrain flew over the attack, landed behind the Electric-type and bit his tail. Electabuzz shouted for a moment then sat down… on his tail… which Bonebrain was still biting up until then…

"…Umm, is it over?" Bane asked as Bane Junior got up, revealing a rather pathetic looking Bonebrain, who would occasionally twitch its leg.

"Bonebrain, aerial ace!" From nearby, Donny's Bonebrain rammed Bane Junior, knocking him on his butt… and back onto Tessa's Bonebrain.

"Thanks a lot!" Tessa shouted at Donny. "Who knows if the poor thing is even alive after that!?"

They suddenly heard a rather squeaky sound and turned to Bane Junior. The Electabuzz then shrugged and pointed to his namesake. "…What!?" Bane shouted. "I had a heavy breakfast!" Everyone inched away and Ron opened his mouth to speak. "Only make jokes if you've never done it before, yourself!" Bane challenged. After a moment of contemplation, Ron shut his mouth.

"Dude, it squeaked!" I shouted. "How can you _not_ say something about that?" Ron and Rocky snickered as Bane turned a light shade of pink.

"Well, at least I don't do it in my sleep!" Bane shouted back. "Boy, all night in the same center room as you? I need a gasmask, it's so bad!"

I then glared and turned a little pink, myself, as Ron and Rocky began laughing. "Oh, like you've never done it before!" I shouted, quieting their laughter a bit. Well, I needed a venting outlet, so… "Hitmonlee, use double kick! HARD!" I shouted a bit louder than was necessary.

Hitmonlee rocketed shots at Jackie's Bonebrain, KOing the stony pigeon. Then came Tessa's as it was hit by Bane Junior, followed by Donny's which was smacked down by Lampent.

"Well, that wasn't much fun," Rocky commented. "I didn't really get to do much."

"Oh yeah?" Jackie asked as he and his cohorts pulled out more pokeballs. "We aren't finished yet!"

We prepared for more, but were interrupted. "Enough!" We looked and someone was standing in the shadows behind the trio of New Varangian members. He began to step forward, but not into the light.

"Boss!" Donny shouted in a nervous tone. "Uhh, we were just about to finish these kids!"

"Yeah!" Tessa agreed, worry clear in her face as well as Jackie's. "You can watch, if you'd like."

"Idiots!" the man shouted, making the three flinch. "Do you know who they are?" The trio shook their heads 'no,' and he went on. "Well, the one with the goggles on his head is Rocky, Ironhill Gym Leader _and_ the son of Bruno, one of the Elite 4 of Kanto." The trio began to look nervous now as he went on. "And the one in the suit and fancy hat? That is Barney Righton! _Knight_ of Kenewyore!"

The trio began to tremble as he finished. "And although I can't particularly place the others, they're obviously very capable trainers. More than capable enough, I may add, to handle you three idiots!"

The three then backed away like dogs with their tails between their legs as their 'boss' stepped forward into the light. He wore the same uniform, with a slight difference being that he wore a bronze, upside-down raindrop-shaped badge on his right chest with the number '6370' on it, in silver lettering. His hair was brown, short and spiky, and he looked around 27.

He then took two pokeballs from his belt and threw them to us. Alysson caught them and he stepped back. "Those are the pokemon we took," he informed us. He then took another ball out and released a Quilava. "Smokescreen!" he shouted. Then the group was blanketed in smoke.

The smoke was cleared away by Alysson's Normlos using hurricane, but the New Varangians were already gone. "Blast," Barney commented. "They've gone."

I looked to the pokeballs Alysson had caught. "Well, at least we got the pokemon back," I said. "That's the most important thing."

"True," Rocky agreed. "Now I think we should get back to the field and return the young lady's pokemon to her."

**And, behold, the New Varangians!**

**Bane: …They're pokemon thieves? Dude, that's been done past death. It's a zombie now.**

**Well, you don't think that's all they're after, do you? Anyways, I'm still pumped over this news… I'm gonna write more. :)**

**Bane: …Oh boy. Hey, pokemon company! If you're reading this, we've got the legal copyright on all of these pokemon! So keep yer noses outta here! …Did that sound threatening, at all?**

**More like a complaint, actually… Although you're right; it's all mine! Mine! MINE! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! …Adios, readers.**


	58. Chapter 47: Ron's Secret, Revealed

_Uploaded January 19__th__, 2013_

We went back to the arena and entered the spectators' entrance, to find the girl. She was waiting in Sir Righton's seat, people all around her trying to comfort her. As the consolers saw us approach, they backed away. The girl looked to us hopefully and Alysson released the two pokemon from the balls the New Varangian had given us: a Vullaby and a Rufflet.

"Are these your-" But, as Alysson asked her, the girl ran over and hugged the pokemon tightly. We assumed they were hers.

Barney then turned to us with a smile. "Well done, all of you," he congratulated. "Now, I believe we have a tournament to get to!" He turned to the field. "On with the match!" he announced. However, as we went back to our seats, the referee ran up to Barney and whispered something in his ear. "Really?" Barney asked the man, who nodded in reply. "Oh, that is odd… Very well; make the call then."

The referee raised one flag high. "Bane, of Solatropia Islands, is the winner by default!" he announced.

Bane spun his body 180 degrees and ran back over. "What!?" he shouted. "Why?"

The referee went on. "Blossom Branch decided that, after the theft, she felt unsafe to stay in town and immediately left, saying that she assumed you would have defeated her, anyways."

Well, I can't say that Bane was disappointed by being declared the winner, but I think he wanted to have his match. Well, we began to go downstairs, but Barney stopped us. "Ron, Rocky, your match is about to begin," he informed us.

Ron tipped his hat to us. "Well, I'd best be goin'. Make sure you guys watch this match, ya'hear?" We nodded and began to go back to the competitor waiting area.

"Hold on!" Barney called to us. "Would you consider watching the rest of the tournament with me?"

I almost fell over; Bane did. After Alysson and I helped him up, we happily agreed to sit by Sir Barney. We then watched as Rocky and Ron took the stage.

"_And, the next match is between Rocky, the popular Gym Leader of Ironhill Village!"_ The crowd cheered wildly as Rocky waved to the crowd. _"And Ron, local resident of Pasturida!" _Ron waved a little to the crowd of cheering fans.

"Rocky, ready?" the ref shouted. Rocky adjusted the goggles on his head and gave a thumbs-up. "Ron, ready?" Ron lifted his hat just enough to see and gave a wave. "…Begin!"

Ron began by tossing out a pokemon of his that I hadn't seen before: Camerupt. It came out and gave a loud cry, shaking the ground a little. Rocky, however, chose a pokemon I remembered well from my match with him: Rhyhorn. It also gave a roar as it shook the ground some.

"Rhyhorn, use bulldoze!" Rocky opened. Rhyhorn stomped the ground shaking it well.

"Camerupt, use magnitude!" Ron countered. Camerupt stomped the ground, halting the shaking.

"…How's that make sense?" Bane asked from my right.

Barney answered from my left. "Both earth-shaking attacks collided under the ground, canceling each other out," he explained. "This 'Ron' certainly knows what he's doing; I'll give him that… You know, he reminds me of someone…"

"Rhyhorn, rock tomb!" Rocky ordered. Rhyhorn slammed the ground with its forefeet.

"Camerupt, hold on!" Ron said. Camerupt seemed to take the hits pretty well, all things considered. And when I say 'all things,' I mean 'a herd of flying rocks.' "Now, use sunny day!"

Camerupt roared at the sky and the sun seemed to beat down harder on us, as the clouds parted. "Rhyhorn, bulldoze! Stand-by!" Rhyhorn slammed down on the ground, causing some shaking.

"Camerupt, magnitude!" Ron countered once more.

But, as Camerupt reared up, Rocky countered the counter. "Rhyhorn, rock tomb!" Rocks were lifted from the ground, then hurled at Camerupt, slamming the partial fire-type on its side. "Now, use take down!" Rhyhorn ran at the downed Camerupt.

"Camerupt, flamethrower!" Ron shouted quickly. Camerupt turned toward Rhyhorn and spewed flames at the charging beast, but it didn't stop. After a moment Rhyhorn slammed into Camerupt, flipping it over and KOing it.

"_And Camerupt is down!"_ the announcer boomed. _"The first point in this already spectacular match goes to Rocky!" _The crowd boomed as Ron returned his pokemon and pulled out his next. _"What will Ron choose next?"_

"I'll show ya', if you'll shut up a minute!" Ron replied. "Come on, Beldum!" Ron released his Beldum, ready to fight. "Iron head, go!" Beldum flew at Rhyhorn, slamming into the quadroped and KOing him!

"_And Rhyhorn goes down from the first hit!"_ the announcer boomed. _"Who knows what will happen next, in a match like this!?"_

Rocky returned his Rhyhorn and released a new pokemon, which I actually had not seen in person before: Hawkorpse. Hawkorpse is the male evolution of Bonebrain, and is a Rock/Flying type like its pre-evolution. It's a good bit larger, has a headdress of bony feathers on its head, its wings are made of arrowheads, rather than bony feathers, and its maw is much larger, including its teeth; so much so that its bottom row of teeth is visible even when its jaw is shut. It is also, as one might expect, much more powerful, and its talons can rip through some metals with ease. I believe its pokefile would be a bit more descriptive, though.

"Hawkorpse, use aerial ace!" Rocky commanded. Hawkorpse shot into the air and rocketed so quickly that Ron couldn't even counter before it collided with Beldum, knocking it to the ground.

"Beldum!" Ron shouted as the crowd cheered in awe. "Get 'im with zen headbutt!"

As Beldum and Hawkorpse dueled in the sky, we watched with baited breath. "Masterfully done," Barney commented with a smile, eyes fully focused on every detail of the match. "Rocky trains his pokemon well. And Beldum can't have an easy time of this, either."

"Definitely," I agreed. At that point, the whole 'Knight of Kenewyore' factor wasn't really present in my tone. It was just like I was talking to Bane or Alysson. "But I think Rocky's gonna end this pretty quickly."

Barney turned for only a moment to look at me. "How so?" he asked with some curiosity.

"Well, as you pointed out, Hawkorpse has the aerial advantage," I started. "I think Rocky's letting Beldum tire, so it can't counter and Rocky can use one, big finisher move on it."

Barney seemed impressed by my answer as he returned focus to the match. "Now, Hawkorpse!" Rocky suddenly shouted. "Use slash, then night shade!"

With the speed of a bullet, Hawkorpse slashed Beldum, tossing it to the ground, then sent a shadow downward, through the air, which slammed into Beldum, knocking the poor thing out.

"_And another one bites the dust!"_ the announcer announced as Ron returned Beldum. _"Now, what will Ron's final pokemon be? And, yes, I know you're about to show us."_

Ron chuckled as he held up his final pokeball. "Well, I wouldn't have been _that_ rude about it," he said, tossing the ball and releasing who I assumed to be his favorite pokemon, Lampent.

"Well!" Barney exclaimed in a hushed tone. "So, that's it, is it?"

I was about to ask him what that was about, but the battle _was_ still going on. "Lampent, psychic!" Ron shouted. Lampent's eyes glowed bluer, and Hawkorpse began to flail in the sky, unable to control itself.

"Hawkorpse, night shade!" Rocky hollered desperately at the flailing Hawkorpse. The stony bone-bird slashed one wing, firing off a shadowy mass at Lampent and hitting its mark, doing super-effective damage and releasing Hawkorpse from Lampent's hold! "Good job, Hawkorpse!" Rocky praised.

Ron almost growled in frustration. "Use heat wave, Lampent!" he shouted. Lampent shot heat in every direction, giving those of us in the audience a little bit of a sweat, but also doing good damage to Hawkorpse and covering the area in smoke, despite the bird's resistance to fire-type attacks.

"Whoa!" Alysson, along with most of the audience, shouted. "How'd he do so much damage?"

"Well, it's actually relatively simple," Barney commented from beside us. "If you'll look just a bit upward." We looked up and saw the bright sunlight.

My eyes widened, which hurt somewhat, because the sun was so bright. "Ow," I said quietly in reference to my burning corneas.

"It's because his Camerupt used 'sunny day' earlier," Bane said, shielding his eyes from the bright light. "That's why heat wave was so powerful. And why I now have pit stains," he added, lifting up his jacket and showing us the drenched pit areas of his shirt.

"…You're bathing after this match," Alysson demanded instantly from the other side of Bane. "I don't care if you don't want to, you're doing it," she added as Bane began to protest. Bane slunk in his seat a bit and we went back to watching the match.

"Hawkorpse!" Rocky shouted as the smoke cleared. Hawkorpse slowly got up, breathing heavily. Rocky smirked and was about to shout another command, but stopped. He seemed to stare at Hawkorpse for a while, then took a pokeball off his belt and returned it.

"_And Rocky has pulled his Hawkorpse back!"_ the announcer shouted as the crowd gasped and mumbled. _"Well, with both trainers down to their last pokemon, what will Rocky choose for his last resort?"_

"Well, I could tell you that," I scoffed. "If I know Rocky, it'll be-"

"TEEEERRRRR!" Rocky's Terrfist shouted upon release… Okay, I know I now travel with a Hitmonlee (who, at this point, is watching the match with us), but I still can't get over how some pokemon talk, eat, and breathe without a mouth or nose! Seriously!

"Terrfist, use ancientpower!" Rocky opened, using his Terrfist's most powerful attack. Terrfist's emerald eyes glowed with a familiar blue as stones ripped themselves from the earth and hovered in the air.

"Lampent, use psychic now!" Ron attempted to counter. Lampent's eyes also glowed as it tried to lift Terrfist… Okay, for those of you who want to know why it is difficult to lift a Terrfist, allow me to share some information. Terrfist weighs about 577lb. AND is planted in the ground. That's just over half the weight of a Snorlax. And Lampent is not a skilled Psychic-type, like an Alakazam, who could lift even a Wailord.

After Lampent gave up its futile attempt to lift Terrfist, the stones were hurled at the ghost-type! "Lampent, use psychic to toss the stones aside!" Ron shouted.

Lampent threw several of the stones aside, but a few still managed to hit it. "Terrfist, use fire punch!" Rocky said. Terrfist ripped through the ground toward Lampent and began throwing its flaming fist!

"Flash fire!" Ron shouted. On command, Lampent opened its arm-like appendages and the punch seemed to be pushed away as Lampent absorbed the fire. "Nice try, Rocky, but you seem to be slippin'," he said.

Rocky smirked. "Well, you'd know, wouldn't you?" he asked. "Fioron?"

Ron's eyes were now clearly visible under his hat as they shot open. He then sighed and lifted his hat fully on his head. "Well, I shoulda' known you'd figure it out," he said as the two pokemon stared each other down. "Well done, Rocky. Well done."

Well, I can say that Bane, Alysson and I were confused as all get-out by that point. "Ahh, I thought so," Barney said beside us. "Well, I suppose you should know. Ron, or rather, Fioron is one of the Gym Leaders of Kenewyore, who left his position a while ago to… pursue other careers."

And that just about did it for our amount of excitement for the day. Unfortunately, the match wasn't even over yet.

**Viola! Another chapter bites the dust!**

**Bane: *Checks through PM's and reviews* Yo, Storming! We're gettin' a few people commenting on some loose end stuff you need to fix soon!**

**Really? Like what?**

**Bane: *shrugs* Meh. Not much. The hissing thing in chapter 10, the fact that they haven't left the town in like 5 chapters, something about that guy who attacked Serena and wet himself at the sight of Taitatsu.**

**Ah, well all shall be revealed in due time…**


	59. Chapter 48: Battling and Poketalk!

_Uploaded January 25__th__, 2013_

**And, we're back!**

Ron made the next move. "Lampent, use energy ball!" he shouted. Lampent charged a green sphere in its arms.

"Terrfist, fire guard!" Rocky shouted. _Huh, looks like I'm not the only one that comes up with techniques and gives them cool names,_ I thought as Terrfist put up two of its arms, aflame with the power of fire punch, and blocked Lampent's energy ball. "Now, use ancientpower!"

As Terrfist lifted its arms and its eyes glowed, Ron – Fioron – took a close look at the field, particularly a couple of rocky structures off to the side. "Lampent, endure!" he shouted.

Lampent braced itself and took every hit, though it looked extremely worn afterward. "Now, use energy ball on those stones!" Fioron shouted, pointing to the large boulders embedded in the field.

Well, other than being confused, we watched very closely as Lampent shot energy balls at both stones, breaking them out of the ground and pushing them onto their sides. Rocky, however, wasn't about to let Ron pull off his plan – whatever it was. "Terrfist, mach punch!"

Well, I can tell that Rocky wasn't thinking, because the fighting-type move went right through the Ghost-type. "Dang it!" Rocky shouted in a panic, realizing his mistake a little too late.

"Lampent, use psychic to throw 'em at Terrfist!" Fioron shouted. Lampent's eyes glowed and the stones were lifted up, one at a time, and hurled at Terrfist!

"Terrfist, brace yourself!" Rocky shouted. Terrfist raised two arms to block the stones, but I could tell they still hurt. "Terrfist!" Rocky shouted as the stalagmite pokemon was pushed back by the second stone. It began heaving its breaths, and steadying itself with its arms.

"…" Rocky silently pulled out a pokeball as his head fell. He lifted it to return Terrfist, but it suddenly roared. Rocky's head shot up as Terrfist began to move forward and support itself without its arms. "Terrfist!" Rocky shouted, looking confused.

But something clicked in my head, and I had to tell him. "Rocky!" I shouted, standing up. "I know you don't wanna push your pokemon, but look at Terrfist!" He was a bit hesitant as the last time he was told to do this he saw Terrfist breathing heavily and in pain. This time, however, Terrfist was pushing away the pain to keep fighting – because it wanted to. "Pushing your pokemon too far is one thing, but Terrfist _wants_ to fight for you!" I went on. "You're the trainer, Rocky, and you can do what you want, but just think about it! How far are you pushing? And how far are you and Terrfist going as a team?"

Rocky took a look a Terrfist and paused for a minute. I sat down as Barney gave me a startled look. I tried to ignore that, though. I had to say it, and Rocky needed to hear it. Rocky took a deep breath and opened his mouth. "Terrfist?" he called. "You heard him. How far are we going as a team?"

Terrfist lifted its fists and slammed the ground, rattling the arena. "TEEERRRR-FIIIIIIST!" it exclaimed with pure strength.

Rocky gave a grin. "Alright then, buddy! I'm with you!" Rocky replied, back in the game. "Terrfist, give him your best shot!" Terrfist lifted one fist as it glowed with a dark, misty substance.

"Shadow punch!?" Ron exclaimed in shock, stumbling backward. "Lampent, get going! Use Energy Ball, and bring him down!" Lampent shot several blasts at Terrfist, but the monolith charged right through them, nearing the ghost-type. Lampent stopped shooting just as Terrfist neared and its eyes glowed red.

Terrfist slammed Lampent, shooting the little décor-like pokemon into the wall. However, just as Lampent hit it, Terrfist froze and fell forward, KO'd as much as Lampent.

The crowd murmured in confusion as the referee examined the two pokemon to try and figure out who fainted first. "…What happened?" I asked in shock at the bizarre ending to the match. "Did Terrfist just run out of steam, or…"

"No," Sir Barney answered, looking closely at the field. "Something else happened… Destiny bond."

"Destiny bond?" I asked. It took me a moment, but then I remembered that destiny bond was an attack. It's a ghost-type attack used so that when the user faints, the pokemon that made it faint also faints. However, I wasn't exactly sure what implications that move had in deciding the winner of the match. "Oh. That move," I said in understanding.

"_The judge seems to have made his decision!"_ The announcer announced over the intercom. _"Let's see who the winner is…"_

The ref raised one flag. "The winner of this match is Ron, of Pasturida!" he announced to the shock of some and the applause of others. We, being myself, Bane and Alysson, were among the shocked.

"What!?" Bane shouted. "If he used destiny bond, then his pokemon must have fainted first! Do the math, ref!"

The referee nodded. "If that were the case, then, yes, Rocky would be the winner. However, upon closer inspection of Terrfist, it fainted due to its own exhaustion. When a pokemon faints from the effects of destiny bond it is so sudden a knock out that the pokemon feels cold, almost ghostly itself. But this was not the case with Terrfist, therefore, the winner is Ron!"

The crowd slowly broke into applause as the announcer tried to be heard over them. _"Well, with one of the most exciting matches I've ever seen over, we're gonna take a little lunch break, folks!" _he announced as the stands began to clear. _"And, personally, I recommend Burger Slowking! MMM! It's burger-rific!"_

And, as the announcer went on throwing advertisements into the wind, we left ('we' being Bane, Alysson, Barney and I). We met up with Rocky and _Fioron_ just outside the arena, Sir Barney lagging behind a little. "Well, hello, _Fioron_," Bane greeted first, stressing the name. "…What's up?"

Fioron sighed. "Well, first of all, people do call me 'Ron' for short," Ron explained. "So, to be frank, I didn't really lie to ya'."

"Sheesh!" Bane shouted, throwing his hands up. "First you're Ron, then Fioron, now Frank!? What next? Laura?"

"…Well, at least we know now," I said with a half-smile.

"…So," Alysson began. "You're a Gym Leader?"

Ron gave a tip of his hat. "More or less," he replied. "Not most recently, but…"

"Fioron." We turned to see Sir Barney stepping forward and tipping his hat. "Nice to see you again."

Ron and Barney exchanged looks and Ron sighed. "Sir Barney," he began. "I believe you know what I want."

Barney nodded. "Indeed. However, I believe we should indulge in some food first… We can discuss it then." Ron shrugged and Barney turned to us. "Would you all join us?" he asked.

We agreed and went to the PCC for lunch. Again, I'd list the food, but, even though we let the center take care of our pokemon's meals, there were several of us, and the Pasturida center had a buffet special that day. Once we were all seated, we began conversing.

"So, Rocky, how have you been?" I began.

Rocky gave a smile and a shrug. "I've been doing pretty well, actually. Since I left the Gym after our match, I've trained my pokemon to work with me, rather than for me… I think my dad'll like that."

"I'm sure he's proud of you, Rocky," Barney assured him. "Why, the last time I saw him, all he could talk about was you. 'How's Rocky?' 'Is he doing well?' 'How many trainers did he beat today?' and the like."

Rocky's smile broadened. "Really?" he asked with hope.

Sir Barney nodded, then turned to me and began to inspect my face. "…Something wrong, Sir?" I asked, kinda curious as to why he was looking so closely at me.

He backed off a bit. "You'll have to forgive me; I can't help thinking I've seen you somewhere, before…" He then turned to Bane. "So, Bane, was it?"

Bane nodded. "Yup," he replied. "That's my name, and it's also my game." Alysson looked like she wanted to smack him, but probably held back because of Sir Barney.

Barney smirked a bit at his joke, though. "Well, I did see your other battle, as well as earlier, when you assisted in getting that young lady's pokemon back, and I must say I'm impressed. Your Electabuzz, in particular, seems to have a very strong affinity for you."

Bane nodded. "Well, I have kinda raised it since it hatched," he admitted. "But I can't really take the credit for hatching it."

I patted him on the back. "Why not?" I asked. "You were a huge help to Nurse Joy and Serena during the incubating process."

Rocky seemed surprised. "Serena Dragonhide?" he asked. "As in the Gym Leader?"

Bane nodded. "Yup. We were friends back home, so, you know."

"Ah, yes," Barney said, recollecting something. "Serena and you both come from the Isle of Solatropia, yes?"

Bane gave a nod. "Bingo, Barney," he replied, slurping his coke.

Alysson sighed. "Can you at least try to show a little respectfulness?" she asked. "A little?"

Rocky and I laughed as Ron gave a loud, rather irritating sigh. "Pardon me, Sir Barney, but there is something we need to discuss?" he said, dropping a rather large hint.

Barney nodded. "Go on, then," he said.

Ron raised an eyebrow. "Umm… We're kinda in a large group, Sir," he said, gesturing to our group of three in particular. "Are you sure that…"

Barney nodded. "Indeed. They may hear it, if it is what I believe you want," he said. "Go ahead."

"…Sir Barney," Ron began. "I…"

**And now let's look at what all the pokemon are doing! …What?**

Many pokemon were outside in the center's playground area, including Storm's, Bane's, Alysson's, Rocky's and Ron's.

Furyash and Shellder were talking to Terrfist and Rhyhorn, Bane Junior was playing with Normlos and Woobat, Hawkorpse and Hitmonlee were having a staring contest, Shiekire was hanging from a nearby tree and not visibly doing much, Anorith was… gone. Porygon was talking with Squirtle, and Lampent, Corsola, Gerbirfur, Camerupt and Beldum were napping.

"So, you finally evolved then?" Terrfist asked Furyash in a rough voice, like… well, like a rock.

"In battle with The Phantom," Furyash answered. "It was very interesting – evolving… To be honest, it's rather tingly."

Terrfist nodded. "I thought the same thing, really. However, I was with Rocky's father, at the time."

"Blah, blah, blah!" Shellder interrupted, bouncing a bit. "What about me!?"

"…You're small," Rhyhorn replied. "And purple… Are you a grape?"

"…What's wrong with him?" Shellder asked Terrfist.

Said rock-type shrugged as Rhyhorn randomly walked away. "According to Rocky's father, Rhyhorn have low intellect, and need to stand on their hind legs for the blood to flow to their brains and make them work."

"…HOW THE HIPPOWDON DOES _THAT_ MAKE SENSE!?" Shellder demanded of his group. They shrugged.

Meanwhile, Hawkorpse and Hitmonlee were getting closer to the end of their match. "…Give up, yet?" Hawkorpse asked in a slight raspy caw.

"…Do you?" Hitmonlee returned, staring into the dark, red eyes.

"…Why would I give up?" Hawkorpse asked. "I just asked you to."

"…Are pokemon like you just born stupid?" Hitmonlee asked. "Or is there some kind of school?" Hawkorpse blinked out of surprise. "HA! I win!" Hitmonlee announced, blinking finally.

Hawkorpse gave a shrill caw. "You're mine, punching bag!" he declared, rushing at Hitmonlee, who flipped out of the way. "Come here!" As he went after Hitmonlee again, Shiekire let go of the branch it clung to and rushed past Hawkorpse with a swift night slash, halting the stony bird for a moment.

Shiekire then perched on top of a nearby swingset. "No need to get physical," Shiekire complained, flapping some dust off of its wings.

Hawkorpse shouted, waking the sleepy pokemon and grabbing the attention of the others, and flew up toward Shiekire. Shiekire swiftly flew away and kept out of Hawkorpse's grasp as they flew around the playground. "How are you so fast!?" Hawkorpse shouted, attempting once more to land an attack on Shiekire.

Shiekire flew a particular way, then moved at the last second, allowing Hawkorpse to keep going… and slam into the Pokemon Center wall. "I have my ways," the little dark-type replied with a chuckle as he flew up to a different branch.

Woobat flew over and joined him. "Wow!" she complimented. "You really are fast! How do you do that?"

Shiekire pulled his wings up around his body tighter. "…It's all in the joints," he said, flexing one wing a bit. "If you can keep them from being dislocated and train them a good bit, you can outfly just about anything… Except maybe a Latios," he admitted as a side note.

As Woobat and Shiekire talked, Hawkorpse lifted himself from his resting place. He gave a shrill battle cry and lunged at the bats. Shiekire moved quickly, knocking Woobat away, but not himself. As Hawkorpse used a nasty slash on him, Shiekire was slammed into the tree! He then fell where Hitmonlee caught him.

"Okay, Bonebrain!" Hitmonlee challenged. "A battle's one thing, but don't you dare attack a pokemon with its back turned!"

Hawkorpse shrugged, flapping some to keep itself airborne and prepared for any sudden attack. "Sorry, you got the wrong pokemon," he started. "I _evolve_ from a Bonebrain. Besides, he saw me coming. He moved the other bat out of the way, didn't he?"

Hitmonlee looked like he was about ready to smack Hawkorpse into next week as Woobat slowly flew over to examine the unconscious Shiekire. Furyash gently flew down between them. "Lee and Woobat, take care of Shiekire," Furyash ordered.

Hitmonlee was almost shaking. "You think I'm just gonna-"

Furyash gave a mighty caw, lighting its tails aflame for a moment, and Lee backed off. Hawkorpse and Furyash glared each other down for a moment; Hawkorpse with a slight look of insanity and Furyash with a powerful air of determination surrounding him. "Let's have some fun," Hawkorpse said as they began!

**Yo, pokepeople! In honor of nothing in particular, and because I ended the last chapter with a cliffhanger as well, I'm posting not one, but **_**two**_** chapters today!**

**Bane: *plays fanfare and bangs drums loudly!***

…**Must you?**

**Bane: Musn't I?**

…**Well played, my friend. Well played.**


	60. Chapter 49: Starter Pokemon!

_Uploaded January 25__th__, 2013 (also)_

And thus, it began! Hawkorpse shot straight at Furyash like a bullet, but the firebird spun out of the way and shot a flamethrower at Hawkorpse. Hawkorpse, however, turned and its eyes glowed a mysterious blue as chunks of rock lifted themselves and shielded Hawkorpse from the attack, then launched themselves at Furyash.

Furyash then dodged the boulders as Terrfist caught them behind him. "This is enough!" Terrfist announced, slamming the stones back into the ground. "Both of you, stop before you wreck the center!"

Hawkorpse, however, had officially stopped listening to anyone and began racing toward Furyash. Furyash quickly used agility and began to outfly the rock-type bird.

"Take this, burny-bird!" Hawkorpse shrieked, launching night shade after night shade at Furyash. Furyash, in turn, shot a small burst of flamethrower at each blast, extinguishing them. "GRRAAAHH!" Hawkorpse shrieked. It was about to go on, but was hit by a water gun, courtesy of Corsola.

As it sputtered a bit and began to get up, Terrfist came in front of it. Hawkorpse growled a little. "Outta the way, big guy!" it roared, trying to see a way around the giant that wouldn't end in it smacking into one of Terrfist's three fists.

Terrfist grabbed the little rock-bird and picked it up, bringing it close to Terrfist's stony face. "Calm down, Hawk, or you _will_ be a corpse," he threatened, dropping the bird, who muttered as it walked into a corner to be alone.

"…So, how's tricks?" Anorith asked from Furyash's back.

"…When did-… How did-… I'm fine; how are you?" Furyash relented.

Anorith shrugged. "Honestly? It was more fun back home… I miss home."

"Home?" Shellder asked. "You mean Route 10?"

"No," Anorith replied with a sigh. "I mean home. The big, big, big, big mountains and my little forest-tree."

Well, that just about confused the Ponyta out of everyone. "Ahh," Porygon said in some form of understanding. "You mean your home from long ago?"

Anorith blinked. "How would I know? All I remember is that I was home one day, frozen the next, then the stupid silver-bugs were attacking me!"

"Frozen?" Furyash asked. "What do you mean, frozen?"

Anorith shrugged. "I don't know. First I'm playing with Mr. Bubble – little kid, nice boy – and then there's a blizzard and I see a big, big pokemon up in the sky… So I ran away, screaming."

Porygon nodded. "Logical," he consented. "Go on, please."

Everyone had suddenly taken interest in Anorith's story. "Well, I was scuttling, you know, like I do, to my little forest tree, and I hid in it… Well, after the wind got all sleepy and quiet, I tried to leave, but there was an ice cube over my door!"

The pokemon all stood in shock as he explained. "Well, I tried to break it, but I couldn't… So I took a nap."

"A nap!?" Shellder shouted, angry for some reason. "You find yourself trapped in a tree by ice, with no food… And you nap!?"

"…Yeah," Anorith agreed. "Weren't you listening?" He then turned to Shiekire, who was resting beside Woobat. "Not too bright, is he?" he muttered loud enough for Shellder to hear.

Shellder spun and began to spin at Anorith, but Hitmonlee picked him up, halting him. "Let go, at once!" Shellder demanded. "I must have revenge! Revenge! Reve-" Hitmonlee bonked Shellder on the top of his shell. "…Please continue," the shellfish consented as Hitmonlee sat him back down.

"…Well, when I woke up… Actually, I woke up a lot," Anorith explained. "First time, I saw that the ice was gone, so I went out to eat. But, when I was nomming, a big Skarmory or something started pecking on me, so I sprayed it. It got angry, so I went back to my tree and napped again."

"May I stop you for a second?" Porygon asked. Anorith nodded very, very fast. "…Please stop; you're going to hurt yourself."

"WHEEEEEEEE!" Anorith shouted, his head going much too fast for anything in the physical realm. Furyash stopped it with his foot. "…You're foot smells like purple," Anorith said, falling into a sleep.

"…Anyone wanna explain him to us?" Beldum asked, joining the conversation. "Or at least try? _'A'_ for effort and all that."

"…Not really," Hitmonlee answered as Lampent and Camerupt came over to join the group. "But I think… he hibernates."

"What's that?" Bane Junior asked.

"When a creature goes into an extended period of sleep – even for months at a time," Porygon and Beldum answered together. "…That was odd," they once again said in union.

"…Please stop," Shellder requested. "That genuinely scares me. Really, it does."

"Anyway," Hitmonlee said, getting back on topic. "I think there's more to Anorith than we think."

"No, there's less," Shellder assured him. "Much, much less." Hitmonlee gently flipped the water-type over with his foot. "…I hate you."

"And I, you," Hitmonlee replied.

Meanwhile, Lampent had floated over to Terrfist. "By the way, Terrfist," it began. "I enjoyed our battle." It extended a ligament. "You are quite the worthy adversary. Well fought."

Terrfist shook Lampent's… thingy. "And you, as well," Terrfist commended. "By the way, who won?" he asked the group. "I remember seeing Lampent flying toward the wall, then I blacked out. That match took a lot, ya'know?"

"So you didn't faint due to destiny bond?" Porygon asked.

Lampent answered, though. "No. Trust me, when destiny bond takes effect I stay conscious for just long enough for the attack to sap away the opponent's strength. When I hit the wall, though… Wait a second, I hit a wall?" Most of the group nodded. "When did that happen? I don't even remember that."

As they tried to figure this out, Nurse Joy entered the grounds. "Okay, everyone in!" she called. A junior nurse came out to assist her. "Take Terrfist and Camerupt in through the bigger doors," she instructed. "The rest of you, follow me."

**And, that's what the poke's did. Interesting? …Well, you got it, didn't you? Don't beg if you also wanna choose! …You didn't beg? …Well, whatever!**

Well, Ron finished his sentence, but Sir Barney said that it would have to wait until he took care of something he needed to do. Barney brought us all to the Pokemon Center and greeted the nurse. "Nurse Joy," he greeted. "Is he here, yet?"

The nurse nodded, gesturing to the side. We looked and saw a small boy, about ten, wearing a red shirt and open blue jacket with black lining, jeans and black shoes. He also wore a red-and-black hat with a pokeball symbol on it and had brown hair.

Barney walked over to the boy, who looked up eagerly. "Are you Sir Barney?" he asked excitedly.

Barney nodded. "I am," he replied. "And I am also the purveyor of your starter pokemon!"

The boy jumped for joy as I gave a smirk. "So that's it," I said quietly. "He needed to deliver this kid's first pokemon to him."

"Cool," Bane commented, giving a full smile.

Alysson nodded. "I wonder what they are?" she asked quietly as Barney produced three pokeballs, the choices for Kenewyore's regular starter pokemon inside.

I knew them all by heart, my dad being a pokemon researcher and all. He gave new trainers in towns like Littlelog their first pokemon, so he had a few around his research center. I played with a few, but after getting cut by the Grass-type one and burned slightly by the Fire-type… Yeah, I preferred the water type.

First up, Barney released the grass-type starter: Whirlie. Whirlie is the Wind-Going Pokemon. It's a small, very thin, tan pokemon that looks like a helicopter seed. What? You don't know what those are? Maple seeds; the kinds with a 'wing' that lets them _'helicopter'_ down to the ground when they fall. I also has two, semi-thin eyes and no mouth (again, it bugs me; heck that whole 'mouthless' thing was the reason I got cut… moving on).

"Cool!" was the kid's opinion as the Whirlie gave a quick spin in the air.

Barney next released the fire-type starter: Riki. Riki is the Face Totem Pokemon. It's a small, one head-tall totem pole pokemon whose body is red with orange, almost tribal markings, and whose face is always a smile made of brown-wooden teeth. It also has two yellow eyes and two ears sticking out from its sides and a flame that hovers just over its head.

"Awesome!" the kid remarked as the Riki bounced on the ground rhythmically.

Finally, Barney released the water-type starter: Zzublee. Zzublee is the Water Cutter pokemon. It's a short, two-foot something eel that has purple 'hair' lining it from its head to the end of its body and tentacles coming from the hair. It's rather thin, which gives it swift swimming skills and gave it the title of 'Water Cutter pokemon'.

"Sweet!" The boy said once more as the Zzublee swam around in a nearby water fountain.

"That is the grass-type starter, Whirlie," Barney explained first, pointing to said pokemon. "The fire-type starter, Riki," he said, pointing to the totem pokemon. "And the water-type starter, Zzublee," he finished, motioning to the eel, which was flipping through, and over, the fountain. "You may choose to take one of these pokemon. Be aware, however, that these pokemon are very rare, and you probably won't see many others, unless they already have trainers. The pokemon you choose will be your partner in your travels, and I'm sure you and they will grow close together."

The boy looked between the pokemon for a good few minutes. He even picked up the fire and water-type ones, but just let the grass-type flitter around him, laughing as it did so. "I pick Whirlie!" he decided after a moment longer.

Sir Barney gave a nod of approval. "An excellent decision, young one," he congratulated, returning the other two pokemon to their pokeballs. He handed the other pokeball to the boy. "Here's Whirlie's pokeball," he said as he handed it to him. "…Tell me, my boy; do you know how to battle?"

The boy nodded. "Sure I do! You say an attack, and the pokemon does it!"

Barney chuckled. "Well, do you know what attacks Whirlie knows?" he asked. The boy scratched his head, then shook it 'no'. "Well, I can give you a practice match, if you'd like," Barney offered. The boy excitedly said yes, and Barney led him to the center's arena.

Barney and the boy stood at opposite sides of the arena and prepared themselves. "Oh, pardon me," Barney declared before the match began. "I didn't get your name, young boy."

"My name is River!" the boy shouted with excitement.

Bane chuckled from the sidelines. "Ahh, to be young," he commented. "…Boy, am I glad _that's_ over."

"Bad childhood?" I asked.

Bane shook his head. "No, but I like being able to make my own decisions now. You know, lead my life?" I had to agree with him there, but I wasn't really upset with _most_ of my parents' decisions either… well I don't honestly think a couple more candy bars here and there would hurt _that_ much.

Barney released the Zzublee to be River's opponent. "Ready, River?" he called.

Whirlie whirled onto the field. "Ready, sir!" River shouted back.

Barney nodded. "Right now Whirlie can do two attacks: scratch and leer. scratch will attack your opponent, and leer will weaken their defenses. You may make the first move."

River shrugged. "Why wouldn't I just use the attacking attack? Whirlie, use scratch!" Whirlie flew at Zzublee, connecting with the attack and doing good damage.

"Zzublee, use growl!" Barney directed. Zzublee growled somewhat, seeming to unnerve Whirlie.

"Whirlie, get him!" River shouted again. Whirlie flew again at Zzublee and hit, doing some damage.

"Zzublee, growl again!" Barney commanded. Zzublee growled, making Whirlie shrink back a bit this time.

"Whirlie, hit him one more time!" River announced. Whirlie flew, somewhat slower this time, at Zzublee and scratched, doing very little damage. "Hey, what gives?" River asked, seeing the lack of effect his attack had.

"You see," Barney began. "Zzublee used growl on Whirlie, and growl lowers the opponent's attack. That's why its scratch attack didn't do much. Now do you see why you should use any attack to your advantage?"

The kid shrugged. "I guess so… Whirlie, use leer this time!" he shouted.

Whirlie leered at Zzublee, making it shrink back. "Well done!" Barney commended. "But I believe it is now time for Zzublee to turn to offense! Zzublee, use tackle!" Zzublee squirmed over to Whirlie and tackled the seed-pokemon, doing okay damage.

"Whirlie, use leer, then scratch!" River shouted once more. Whirlie leered at Zzublee, stilling the pokemon, then used a close-range scratch attack, KOing Zzublee! "We did it!" River shouted as Whirlie whirled around his new trainer.

Barney chuckled. "Indeed, well done!" he congratulated the new trainer. Well, all in all, after Barney showed River the amenities provided by the pokemon center, gave him a few pokeballs to start off with and a few other minor tidbits, River soon left to start his journey. But, before he did…

"Hey!" Back inside the Pokemon Center, River walked up to Bane, Alysson and I and said 'Hey!'

"Hi," I greeted, kind of surprised he hadn't already left. I know I was excited when I left to start my adventure… just over a couple of weeks before this… wow.

"You're a pokemon trainer, right?" he asked excitedly.

I nodded. "Yeah, but I'm actually pretty new to it, myself," I replied. "I've only got a couple of badges."

"Wow!" River shouted excitedly, making Alysson giggle a little. "You've got badges?" I nodded again. "Can I see 'em?"

I let out a chuckle. "All right," I said, opening my jacket to show him the Stalwart and Victory badges.

His smile broadened and, may I say, that was kinda cool. "How many pokemon do you have?" he asked in awe.

"I have four," I answered again, starting to feel a little embarrassed about being treated so royally. Hey, the kid _had_ met Sir Barney, hadn't he? …Though, I guess, through the eyes of a child, things can seem a lot different than to someone older, even if only by a few years.

"Can I see 'em?" he asked, literally jumping with excitement.

I sighed with a smile and said, "Sure," letting out my other pokemon (Hitmonlee already being out).

River examined Furyash, Shellder, Shiekire and Hitmonlee with vivid curiosity. "Awesome," he commented as Whirlie and Shiekire flew around each other for fun. "…Do you think I can catch this many pokemon?" he asked me with wide eyes.

Well, I won't lie; I had to think about that for a minute. But, I think my answer was pretty okay. "You don't have to have a lot of pokemon, you just have to be close to the ones you have." He looked a little confused, so I went on. "A trainer's power isn't always determined by how many pokemon they have, or how physically strong they are. And a pokemon's power isn't reliant upon its evolution stage or its notoriety. What really matters is heart and soul. When a pokemon and a trainer work together, and they really give their best, they may not always win the match, but they'll come out winners… Did that make sense?"

River thought for a minute, then smiled. "Yeah!" he cheered, his Whirlie mimicking his enthusiasm. "Me and Whirlie are gonna go do our best, and be real winners!"

And, with that, River and Whirlie went off to start their own adventure. "Do you think I said the right thing?" I asked my friends.

"Most definitely," I heard Sir Barney say from beside me. I jumped a little in surprise.

"Sir Barney!" I yelled a little. "Sorry, Sir, I didn't notice you there." I tried to laugh it off, but… Well, it's hard.

Barney nodded. "Oh, that tends to happen from time-to-time," he said, waving it off. "But I do believe Fioron had given me a request a short while ago.

Well, timing impeccable, Ron and Rocky walked up at that exact moment. "Yep," Ron agreed.

_**And Then…**_

**I'm thinking of ending all my chapters like that. You know, they do that 'To Be Continued' thing in actual pokemon episodes, so I thought it'd be cool to have my own thing.**

**Bane: I like it. But we'll still be able to have these little A/N chats, right?**

**Duh. By the by, who else thinks the new pokemon generation will be centered in an area loosely based off of Europe? I know I saw what looked like an Eiffel Tower in the video, and I heard from an interview that Unova was loosely based off of the U.S.A. (along with the baggy-pants Scraggy-line).**


	61. Chapter 50: A Knightly Duel!

_Uploaded February 18__th__, 2013_

We stood on the sidelines of a battlefield, where Ron finished his statement. "Sir Barney, I challenge you to a pokemon battle!" he announced.

Barney nodded as the rest of us stood at the side to watch the match. "Then, in accordance with the rules and procedures, you must use only pokemon you use at your Gym. And it shall be a 3-on-3 match. Agreed?" Ron agreed and soon enough the nurse returned all our pokemon, including Ron's.

Well, still not entirely sure why, but I felt like my pokemon wanted to watch, so, since there was a pokemon area nearby for them to watch from, anyways, I let them all out to watch. Bane and Alysson followed suit almost immediately; as thought they had had the same idea. Rocky, however, didn't look like he really wanted to, but I couldn't help but notice the curiosity he showed when we did.

Ron took a breath and tossed his first pokeball. "Go, Camerupt!" he shouted, releasing it. Camerupt reared up and slammed the ground, roaring powerfully.

Sir Barney Righton pulled a pokeball from his jacket pocket and enlarged it, then released the pokemon within. The pokemon he released was a calm, almost serene-looking Gallade. Gallade was released in a meditating position. It calmly opened its eyes and stood up slowly, then stretched its arms, one at a time.

"You may begin," Barney offered as Gallade stood ready for the battle.

"Camerupt, use eruption!" Ron began, not holding anything back. Camerupt leaned forward and fire erupted (well, duh) from its humps, shooting at Gallade.

"Gallade, use protect," Sir Barney countered calmly. Gallade did not move an inch, but a wall of green energy shielded it from the fire, leaving Gallade unscathed. "Now, use psycho cut." Gallade pulled back one arm then launched it forward, shooting a purple slash of energy at Camerupt.

"Camerupt, hold on!" Ron warned. Camerupt endured the attack pretty well, considering it pushed him back a good foot.

"Gallade, use psycho cut at full-force!" Barney commanded with a regal air. Gallade's eyes flashed blue and it launched psycho cut after psycho cut at Camerupt.

It only took three hits to KO Camerupt, shocking us all. "Did… Did that just happen?" I asked, bewildered.

"Yeah," Bane agreed with equal shock. "He just… didn't even have to try."

"Well, he's not an elite for nothing," Rocky said, although he seemed to be as impressed as we were.

Ron silently returned Camerupt and pulled out another pokeball, releasing the evolution of Riki (the fire-type starter shown in the last chapter), Tiki!

Tiki is similar to Riki by half. To be more specific, it's a totem pole pokemon made of the face of Riki on top and another face below that. The bottom head is orange with yellow and purple markings, yellow around the sides of its head and purple making eyebrows and upside-down triangle markings just under the eyes. Its eyes are a vibrant red, and its face is a look of anger, with brown-wooden teeth like its other head, and short, orange, wing-like ears. Another interesting note is that Tiki is a Fire/Grass dual-type, which makes a lot of people choose it as their starter, due to pure typing. Oh yeah, the fire atop its heads is also somewhat bigger… if that matters.

"Tiki, use grasswhistle!" Ron began. Tiki began whistling and Gallade's head began to slightly droop.

"Gallade!" Barney called even as Gallade fell into a sitting position, fast-asleep.

"Awesome job, Tiki!" Ron congratulated. "Now use fire pledge!" Tiki shot a column of fire at Gallade, doing some fair damage to the sleeping pokemon.

"Gallade, use sleep talk!" Barney commanded.

"Sleep talk?" I asked, not sure I heard him right.

"Yep," Bane answered as Gallade appeared to mutter in its sleep. "It allows the user to use any of its moves, even when asleep."

Suddenly, Gallade shot forward like a bullet and slammed its arm onto Tiki, hurting the little totem-head pokemon. And all that while still asleep.

"Brick break," Sir Barney commented as Tiki struggled to stay up. "An excellent move, lucky for me."

"Yeah, but it won't help you for much longer!" Ron replied. "Tiki, use fire pledge once more!"

As Tiki prepared to attack, Sir Barney countered swiftly. "Sleep talk, Gallade!" he shouted. As the fire neared Gallade, a green wall of energy surrounded the Fighting/Psychic dual-type. "Protect! Nicely done!" Barney cheered just as Gallade began to awaken.

"No!" Ron complained as Gallade got up. "Tiki, use razor leaf!" Tiki threw razor-sharp leaves at Gallade from… well, I really don't know where they came from, actually… Its fire?

"Gallade, dodge it and use psycho cut!" Barney commanded. Then Gallade, with speed that made it difficult to follow the tall pokemon, ran around the leaves, leaped over Tiki, and slashed straight downward, hitting Tiki on the top of its head and KOing Ron's second pokemon.

Ron watched in utter shock as Gallade landed softly behind the downed Tiki. "No way!" Bane shouted from beside me as we all added our own cries of disbelief. "That's unreal speed!"

I could tell that the pokemon nearby were impressed as well. Furyash and the other flying pokemon had been hovering, but had to catch themselves as they fell from shock. Shellder and Anorith did a spray take, Bane Junior and Hitmonlee's knees weakened, and the Squirtle and Normlos just looked shocked… Huh, guess a Squirtle wandered by or something… Bane'll probably try to catch it.

Ron once more returned his pokemon, only one left. "Fioron?" Barney called to him. "You know the legalities of the match, I assume?" Ron gave Barney a glance and nodded, picking his final pokeball from his belt. "Then you'll not back down?"

"I'm a man of my word, Sir Righton," Ron said with a hint of sadness. "I started this match, and I'll finish it."

"What's that all about?" I wondered out loud.

"Well, I guess I can tell you," Rocky began. "Fioron, or Ron, being a Gym Leader, is allowed to challenge any Knight at his request. High honor, I'm sure you know." Ron released his Lampent as Rocky went on. "If Ron were to win, he would earn high honor, having bested a Knight, and all, along with an audience with his majesty if he can beat another Knight. Now there's the real prize."

I watched as Lampent launched multiple shadow balls that Gallade easily dodged. "And, if he loses?" I asked as they went on.

"Well… For one, he can't challenge another Knight for about three months. Now, a Knight _could_ challenge him, but that doesn't happen a whole lot. But, for Ron, the worse part is that he has to personally man his Gym for that whole time, training and what-not."

"And why's that so bad?" Bane asked as Lampent avoided a barrage of psycho cuts.

"Well… in truth, Ron hasn't been to his Gym in a month." This surprised us. "And he never took the responsibility well even before then. Lately he says that being a Gym Leader just isn't for him. He wants to be a knight. Not a Knight of the King, mind you, but one of the lesser knights. He says it seems to fit him more, or something."

We watched as the battle went on in a new light. Ron was fighting for his right to try to find his place, and he only had one pokemon remaining, while Sir Barney had yet to even reveal two of his. "Lampent, use heat wave!" Ron cried out. Lampent gave off a wave of heat energy.

"Protect!" Barney shouted simply. Gallade made another wall of energy to protect itself and rushed Lampent. "Use leaf blade, Gallade!" Gallade socked Lampent with a green arm, which actually didn't do as much damage as one would think.

"Shadow ball!" Ron shouted quickly, giving Lampent enough time to slam a close-range shadow ball right into Gallade's chest! "Now, again!" Ron shouted once more. Lampent slammed another shadow ball into the dazed Gallade's chest, bringing the mighty pokemon to its knees.

Ron was about to go on, but suddenly Gallade was enveloped in a red light as it was returned to Barney pokeball. "I believe you've shown great skill," Barney commented. "Especially considering how long you've been away from your post… The match is over."

We were all surprised (that's happening a lot today, isn't it?) as Ron gave a huge sigh and fell to his knees in relief. "Thank you, Sir," he thanked Sir Barney.

"Don't thank me too quickly," Barney corrected, walking to the middle of the field. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you that the other Knights won't give you the same benefit of only fighting one pokemon, do I?"

"No, Sir," Ron replied, getting up and returning Lampent. "I know I've got my work cut out for me… But I think I might just stop in on my old Gym, just to see how it's doing."

Barney gave a smile. "That sounds like a fine idea," Barney agreed. Well, Ron, Rocky and Barney went inside to take care of their pokemon (and in Rocky's case, to talk with Ron a bit), but we decided to see our pokemon for a while.

"Hey, guys!" I greeted my pokemon. They greeted me back with cries of cheer… save Hitmonlee, who just kinda waved.

"Yo, poke's!" Bane said to his pokemon. Bane Junior hugged him and the others cheered as well. "Haven't just talked to you guys in a while."

"Hi, everyone!" Alysson greeted. Her pokemon flew/squirmed over to her and hugged her.

We spent a little while just playing with our pokemon and then I noticed that the Squirtle was still there. "Hey, does anyone know where that Squirtle came from?" I asked.

Bane pulled it behind him and shrugged. "What Squirtle?" he asked. I then heard a crunching sound and Bane threw the Squirtle up and held his finger in pain. "It bit me!" he said.

Said Squirtle 'hmph'd' and walked over to Bane's other pokemon. "Bane," I started. "Something you aren't telling us?"

Bane sighed. "Fine, I caught the Squirtle a little while ago, okay."

Alysson and I congratulated him, then heard a shout from behind us. We turned and saw Ron running to out of the center. "What are y'all still doin' here!?" he shouted to us, not stopping. "Alysson's match is about to begin!"

We quickly returned our pokemon and ran to the arena just in time for Bane and I to be seated next to Sir Barney and for Alysson to make her way to the arena. "Man, that was close!" Bane commented, pulling a taco from his jacket pocket.

"Yeah, we almost didn't make it… Where'd you get that taco?" I asked as Bane ate the foreign delicacy.

"Got it from the center after that kid got his pokemon," Bane said, eating said food. "Want some?"

"…I'll pass," I said as the announcer introduced Alysson to the field. "Looks like the match is about to begin."

"_And, from the faraway region of *static buzz*, welcome Xegnire Yonstixa!"_ A young guy, about fifteen, walked out from the other side of the arena. He wore a blue jacket with white stripes down the sleeves from the cuffs to the neck over a white shirt, and blue pants, and black boots as well as a red hat and black sunglasses on said hat, and black bag with blue pokeball design. His hair was black and shaggy and he looked pretty excited. Murmurs filled the audience over questions about his contestant picture.

"Yeah, yeah, my picture's a flowery hat!" he shouted, quieting the crowd. "You wanna know what happened? Some lady's hat flew in front of the photographer's lens as they were taking the picture. So there." The crowd gave quiet giggles and snickers to his explanation.

"Well, that was a bit rough," Sir Barney commented, laughing in spite of himself. "Though I must say I'm interested in this trainer. He uses some pokemon I've never seen before."

"Alysson, ready?" the referee called.

"Ready for a match!" Alysson replied, pulling out her pokeball.

"Xegnire, ready?" he called to the guy with black hair.

"Ready! And call me Xen!" Xegnire replied. The referee raised both flags, and prepared to lower them and begin the match.

**Yes, I'm back! Sorry, people, but I had a medical issue I had to attend to. Now I return! And I'll try to get back to weekly posting now, too!**

**Bane: Blah, blah, blah. You're just working on other stuff.**

**Not really. I've had a bit of writer's block until recently. But now the inspiration has been given to me! Thank you.**

**Bane: Good night, universe! …You too, readers.**


	62. Chapter 51: Gen XY! Fennekin appears!

_Uploaded Feb. 25__th__, 2013_

"Begin!" the official shouted, lowering the flags as Alysson and Xen threw out their pokemon.

Alysson chose Normlos and Xen picked a Kirlia! "Kirlia, use psychic!" Xen shot right out of the gate.

Kirlia's eyes glowed blue as Normlos was lifted from the ground. "Normlos, use acrobatics to get out!" Alysson shouted desperately. Normlos attempted to wiggle out, but couldn't escape the psychical hold.

"Now, Kirlia!" Xen hollered. Kirlia tossed Normlos to the side of the arena… and onto Bane's lap.

"…Hey, Normlos," Bane greeted. "How's the battle going?"

Normlos shrugged. No, it doesn't have shoulders; so what? The little Normal-type snake then hopped back onto the field. "Normlos, use bounce!" Alysson directed. Normlos bounced on its tail and shot straight up!

"Kirlia, teleport away!" Xen shouted quickly. Kirlia glowed blue for an instant and was gone.

"Wow," I commented as Normlos landed on the field. "Never actually seen teleport up-close before. It's pretty cool."

"Indeed," Sir Barney commented beside me. "It's one of a Psychic-type pokemon's best tricks, in my opinion. Ah, there it is," he said, spotting the Kirlia hovering high above Normlos.

"Now use psybeam, Kirlia!" Xen shouted from below. Kirlia put its wrists together with its palms out and a beam of multi-colored psychic energy shot at Normlos.

"Normlos, dodge!" Alysson shouted. Normlos bounced around, avoiding the beam for a while, until Normlos tripped on a rock and it struck, doing some fair damage. "Normlos!"

"Now, finish it with psychic!" Xen called out. Kirlia's eyes glowed, then it picked up Normlos and tossed it down, knocking out the little Normal-type.

"_Normlos is down!"_ the announcer shouted as Kirlia hovered down to the field and Alysson returned Normlos. _"And what will Alysson's next pokemon be?"_

Alysson pulled out her great ball and released Woobat! "Good choice," Bane commented. "A Psychic-type against a Psychic-type."

"Perhaps," Barney muttered. "Let's watch."

"Woobat, use hypnosis!" Alysson called out, making the first move. Woobat shot waves of sleep-inducing energy at Kirlia.

"Kirlia, move!" Xen shouted. Kirlia twirled out of the way of the attack. "Now, use magical leaf!" Kirlia focused its energy and leaves of swirling colors appeared in the air, then shot themselves at Woobat.

"Woobat, use air cutter on the leaves!" Alysson countered. Woobat shot blades of wind energy at the leaves, destroying them.

"Kirlia, use psychic!" Kirlia began using psychic.

"Woobat, shadow ball!" Even as Woobat began glowing blue with the effects of Kirlia's psychic attack, it shot a powerful shadow ball at Kirlia, knocking the ballerina pokemon back!

"Kirlia!" As Kirlia began to get up, though, Alysson was ready.

"Woobat, use air cutter to finish it!" she called. Woobat hit Kirlia once more, finishing the Psychic-on-Psychic-type match.

"_And Kirlia bites the dust!"_ the announcer shouted as the audience cheered wildly. _"Now what will Xen, the visiting pokemon trainer do?"_

Xen pulled out a comfort ball – you know, the kind that makes pokemon friendlier – and released his next pokemon; a… _Huh, that's funny,_ I thought as I looked the pokemon over.

"What is that?" Bane asked, voicing my thoughts as the groups of the crowd mumbled the same thing.

"It definitely looks like a fire-type, but I've never seen one of those before," I add. Well, when the sons of two pokemon researchers say they've never even seen a pokemon before, _that's_ saying something.

It was a little fox-like pokemon. Predominately yellow, it had large ears with what appeared to be red hair that looked like fire licking its ears and the lower half of a white face with a pointed, black nose. Its tail also had a red tip and it had fiery red eyes.

"Amazing!" Barney commented at the sight of the creature. "A Fennekin! How extraordinary."

"A what?" "A Funnel cake?" Bane and I asked (try to guess who said what – I dare you).

"A Fennekin," Sir Barney repeated as the little pokemon barked. "As you suggested, Storm, it is indeed a pure Fire-type, but I've heard that it has some psychic abilities."

"Fennekin, use flamethrower!" Xen opened with his new pokemon. Fennekin shot a stream of flame at Woobat from its mouth.

"Woobat, dodge and use heart stamp!" Alysson countered. Woobat flew quickly out of the way. As a side-note, I noticed that Woobat had become much faster recently. It seemed to be flapping its wings more quickly, and holding them more stiffly. Well, just wanted to say that.

Woobat then used heart stamp, releasing a heart-shaped bubble that floated at Fennekin.

"Fennekin, ember it away, then tackle!" Xen countered. Fennekin used an ember attack to get rid of the bubble, and then tackled the bat in midair.

"Woobat!" Alysson shouted as the Flying-type struggled to fly.

"Fennekin, finish it with flamethrower!" Xen shouted. Woobat tried to move, but was too tired and was easily KO'd with the attack.

"_OOH! And Xegnire's pokemon… Fennekin defeats Woobat!"_ the announcer boomed, sounding like he had to look at his notes to remember the name of the foreign Fire-type. _"What will Alysson use next against this new adversary?"_

Well, unless Alysson had gotten a new pokemon like Bane, I knew it'd be her Gerbirfur. Alysson released Gerbirfur… What? Must everything be crazy and convoluted with you people?

"Llama, use double-edge!" _Well, that's new,_ I thought as Llama rushed Fennekin.

"Fennekin, use psywave!" Xen countered, drawing gasps of surprise from the audience. Fennekin opened its mouth and released waves of purple energy that hit Llama, stopping the bird/gerbil in its tracks. "Now, use flamethrower!" Fennekin shot Llama with flamethrower, but Alysson was right when she said a Gerbirfur could take plenty of hits.

"Now, use rage, Llama!" Alysson directed. Llama focused and flapped its wings swiftly, then ran at Fennekin, shouting its battle cry!

"BIIIIIIIRRR!" it hollered majestically, waddling at the Fire-type with unbound pride and the swiftest of motions! …I just made a bird/gerbil waddling toward a fox, while calling 'biirrr!' sound beautiful, didn't I? …I'm good.

"Fennekin, move!" Xen shouted. Fennekin began to run from Llama as the half-Normal-type followed it around the arena… After a couple of minutes, the game of poke-tag got boring.

"Hey, do something, would ya'?" Bane shouted from beside me. I elbowed him in an attempt to quiet him, but you know Bane. "Hey, peanut guy! Got anything in an extra-extra-large? This is gonna take a while!"

"Now, Llama!" Alysson shouted suddenly. Llama began leaping from its front-to-hind legs (much like a cheetah) and caught up to Fennekin in no time. "Seismic toss!"

The crowd gasped as Llama grabbed Fennekin from behind with all four paws and flew straight up. It flew in a few circles, and all the while Xen was trying to direct Fennekin to escape, but the foreign poke was stuck. Then, with swift speed, Llama dropped straight down, holding Fennekin.

As they neared the ground, from about two feet up, Llama threw Fennekin down, and _both_ landed on their feet! Fennekin stood there with a quirky smile as the crowd chuckled – hey, who actually figured Llama, defensive poke as I've said before, could really do that much damage? Then Fennekin froze and fell over, leaving the crowd silent with shock.

Llama then did a victory moonwalk as the crowd erupted in thunderous applause! Xen also returned his Fennekin as Alysson cheered with Llama.

"_And Xen and Alysson are both down to their final pokemon!"_ the announcer dictated as Xen pulled his final pokeball. _"What shall the final match be?"_

Xen released a… "Pika!" the slightly dark-colored Pikachu cried upon release.

"That's a shiny!" Bane shouted as he saw the Pikachu scratch its ear with its foot. I also noticed it wore a small, round orb on a string as a pendant around its neck. "How'd he get that? Lucky…"

I smirked at the rare sight. "Well, unless you're staring down The Phantom, you don't get to see a shiny every day, do you?"

Bane shrugged. "True… While we're on the subject, how _does_ he have so many?"

I shrugged back as the match began. "Pika, use thunderbolt!" Xen opened. The shiny Pikachu charged up and sent a bolt of electricity at Llama.

"Dodge it!" Alysson shouted hurriedly. Llama just barely rolled out of the way and stood at the ready. "Now use wing attack!" Llama ran at Pikachu.

"Pika, use volt tackle!" the shiny Pikachu ran at Llama, then cloaked itself in electricity.

"Llama, fly over it!" Alysson directed. Llama began to fly but Pika leapt up, slamming into Alysson's Gerbirfur and tossing it to the ground. "Llama!" But the little, fluffy pokemon had fainted, earning Xen the victory.

"_And Xen is the winner!"_ the announcer boomed as the crowd cheered. _"What an exhilarating match, ladies and gentlemen! Unfortunately, that marks the end of today's matches!"_ The audience began to leave the arena. _"Tomorrow, we'll witness the final match of this round and we will witness the semi-finals! Followed the next day by the Final Match! Be sure to come back!"_

Well, Barney and Bane and I left to meet up with Alysson. Ron and Rocky had decided to watch on their own, so we weren't really sure where they were.

We met Alysson just inside the gates of the arena. "Hey," she greeted, looking down.

"Hey!" I greeted enthusiastically. "Did you win?" Yes, it sounds stupid, but give it a moment.

Alysson stared at me for a moment, then got what I meant and smiled. She gave a proud nod and her smile widened. "I guess I did," she answered finally.

Then Sir Barney gave a nod and a cough, grabbing our attention. "Well, I should like to see you all tomorrow, except for Storm, of course, since he'll be in the first match." He gave a chuckle and turned. "I should retire to my quarters. Good night and rest well." With that, Sir Barney Righton departed from us for the night.

"…We're on casual speaking terms with a Knight of the King," Bane said in realization. "…That is awesome."

"Well, it's not like we can just go ask him to lunch," I reminded him. "He invited us to watch the tournament with him and it's not likely he's gonna tell us to leave now."

Bane shrugged and we went to the center to get dinner at the PCC then head to bed. As we entered, however, I immediately looked at the desk and dove behind a nearby couch. Getting a sense of déjà vu? …Are you now that I've said déjà vu? Ya' should be.

"Thank you, milady," Sir George Laurel said to the Nurse Joy.

"You're welcome, Sir," she answered, giving a curtsy.

Sir Roderick Dorfin was standing to the side, sneering as always. He then spotted Bane and scoffed. This prompted George to glance over and spot Bane. "Ah, hello," he greeted Bane. "We seem to run into each other a lot, don't we?"

Bane nodded. "Yeah, nice to see you, Sir George," he replied, twitching slightly. Guess he still had a bad feeling about the guy.

Roderick said nothing, merely looking any way he could but toward Bane. "I see you're now missing two companions," Sir George commented.

"Huh? What do you mean? Alysson's right-…" Alysson was no longer standing by Bane. "…_Well_," Bane said, slightly offended.

Meanwhile, Alysson and I were hiding behind the couch. "Why are you hiding?" I asked her as she scooched down to avoid sight.

"I figured it'd start to look suspicious if you were the only one ever missing," she replied in a whisper.

I then turned and asked my other companion the same question. "Lee, mon-mon, lee," he replied, whispering.

"…Oh, right," I replied. Well, basically, what I got from that was that he was my pokemon and it'd look odd if he was there without me. "Then we wait until they leave, or sneak to the door. I propose we-"

"Odd place to sit." We looked up to see Sir George looking at us from the other side of the couch. "Hello again."

We exchanged a glance and Hitmonlee got up and walked away. "…Hello, Sir George," I greeted with a nod. "…How have you been?"

"Very well, thank you," he replied. "And though my mind is indeed curious as to why you are hiding behind a couch, I think I shall leave that be for now." Alysson then got up and greeted Sir George, followed by Sir Roderick, whom I was _not_ particularly apt to see.

"Is the young man behind the couch the one you told me of, George?" I heard Roderick ask George from my sitting point.

_Please don't let him see me, please don't let him see me, please don't let him see me,_ I thought as I prepared to get up and face the inevitable.

But, just as I got up, facing away from Roderick and in different clothes than he had seen me in before, a loud clattering was heard nearby. We all looked and saw a cart full of medical supplies careening our way… Well, I dove out of the way as the supplies littered the floor.

Then Hitmonlee ran over behind some chairs and such and crouched down near me. Well, I really can tell what he means when he talks (not sure if it's something to do with him, or something about me, but I digress), so when he said "Mon-leelee!" I knew he meant 'Let's go!'

So, Lee and I crawled away while everyone was distracted. We got to the bathroom and went in to wait until George and Roderick left. Well, when the only guy in there (washing his hands) saw Hitmonlee, he shrugged and left, drying his hands as he did.

Well, now we were in the clear, right? …Guess again. "I think I shall wash up before we leave," I heard Sir Roderick say from near the door. Hitmonlee and I exchanged panicked looks and ran into one of the stalls to hide, standing on the toilet to keep our feet from being seen.

I heard the door open and I saw black shoes walking to the sink. I then heard the sink turn on and assumed Roderick was washing up. "Filthy place," he muttered as he was washing. "The sooner we can return to Doriant, the better."

"Mumbling to yourself, Roderick?" I heard Sir George ask. I guess he had opened the door silently. "You really should be more careful." I then saw his brown shoes and saw what appeared to be him crouching down to see if he could see anyone's feet in the stalls. "…You might offend someone," he finished, apparently deciding that they were alone.

"Ha," Roderick scoffed with a chuckle. "These people don't have the brain capacity to be offended."

"…Well, I suppose I should tell you before you get too excited to leave," Sir George began, walking to stand beside Roderick. "Sir Barney's in town."

Roderick sighed. "Indeed," he said as the water from the sink stopped flowing. "That man has no claim to being a Knight of His Majesty in the first place."

"Come now, Roderick," George said, somewhat sternly. "You know he did a great service to Griffith."

_Are they talking about __**King**__ Griffith? _I wondered as Roderick walked to the paper towels.

"Besides, Sir Barney has found some rather interesting trainers and wishes to introduce us to them," George went on.

I had to wonder what trainers Barney meant, but I had more pressing matters. Suddenly, the toilet below me gurgled. "Did you hear something?" George asked as the toilet gurgled again.

"…Well… That sounds rather bad," Roderick commented. "Shall we go?"

"Let's," George replied as they hurriedly left the room. I immediately jumped off the toilet and Hitmonlee leaped over the stall as I began to open the door…

Back in the center lobby, Roderick and George had left and Alysson and Bane were waiting for me on a couch. They then stared at me as I walked by, glowering and dripping with some sort of clear liquid. I said nothing until I approached the center counter and said, "Your toilet's broken." I then walked back to take a shower, change, release my pokemon (who wisely did not comment on my slightly annoyed appearance), then go to bed.

**Bane: …You're kidding, right?**

**Nope. By the by, I'm alive!**

**Bane: We know that. You're just lazy.**

…**Well, poo. Anyways, I USED FENNEKIN! **

**Bane: Yep, I think you're the first to do that!**

**First Generation 6 battle, baby! WOOHOO! …Okay, I'm good. Hope you guys continue to enjoy! And a special thanks to all my reviewers! (I'm gonna be more specific next chapter, so don't just post a review to get a false thanks – I ain't gonna include the ones that have only reviewed this chapter).**


	63. Pokefile: Whirlie-Family

_Uploaded March 7__th__, 2013_

**BOOM! You people wanted something new? I'm giving it to you!**

**Bane: …Is this really it?**

**Hey, cut me some slack. Once spring break hits I can start the chapters up again. Until then (next week), this is not shabby work!**

**Bane: …! Wait, their evolutions, too!?**

**Yup. These, readers, are all the Kenewyore starters, **_**and their Evolutions! **_**Read up!**

This begins a segment on the three Starter-Pokemon I present to beginning trainers in Towns such as Littlelog and Venera. I will go in pokedex order, hoping to compile such a device for Kenewyore soon – I was given this request by a Knight of the Royal Court, and shall do my best in fulfilling that request. First are numbers 001, 002, and 003 – Whirlie, the basic-stage; Whillie, the first-stage; and Whallie, the final-stage

Whirlie - the Wind-Going Pokemon

A basic Pokemon. Evolves into Whillie when leveling up past level 16.

Grass-type

A small helicopter-seed Pokemon.

Height: 7in.

Length: 2'2"

Weight: 0.23lb.

Description: It is a thin, seed-like pokemon. Its body is that of a light tan helicopter seed, and its frame is so light that it can ride the gentlest winds. It has black eyes on both sides of its seed-head, and its back tail-fin-like appendage allows it to even swim in gentle water.

Habitats are few, ranging mainly from dense forests where it plays in the wind to wooded areas by a river.

Normal color: Light Tan body

Shiny color: Pale Green body

Whillie - the Windy Tree Pokemon

A first-stage Pokemon. Evolves from Whirlie when leveling up past level 16. Evolves into Whallie when leveling up past level 34.

Grass/Flying dual-type

A sparse tree Pokemon.

Height: 4'9"

Weight: 14lb.

Description: A very thin tree, with two branch-arms, three root-feet, and two big, black, oval eyes in the upper area of the tree. Its top is covered with bushy tree-leaves as well as the ends of its arms. In the bushy leaves of its arms, it also has three blades that resemble its pre-evolution, Whirlie, coming out from both of them and wooden spikes at each point. These blades can rotate and spin, making a dangerous, grassy buzzsaw.

It's habitats are sparse (pun), but include dense forests, mainly near the more powerful Whallie.

Normal color: Wood-Tan body (cedar?), Leaf Green leaves, and Light Tan Whirlie-blades

Shiny color: Light Turquoise body (still cedar), Autumn Red leaves, and Pale Green Whirlie-blades

Whallie - the Windy Willow Pokemon

A second-stage Pokemon. Evolves from Whillie when leveling up past level 34.

Grass/Flying dual-type

A large windy tree Pokemon.

Height: 12'7"

Weight: 1143lb.

Description: A now-fully-grown tree pokemon with a trunk ranging from five to seven-feet in diameter. Its black eyes have grown equally with its body and it has grown leafy eyebrows and a two-piece mustache as well. Its head is adorned with no leaves, but branches, some partially-cut, and its leaves now reside solely on its hands. The hands now differ from each other in two ways. One, the right hand is like its predecessor in that there are three Whirlie-blades and a wooden spike. Its left arm also has three Whirlie-blades, but these are all aligned to be a three-bladed sword-like appendage. Its 'feet' are now comprised of three root-feet and they are filled with a soil that contains minerals which it absorbs to heal itself when injured. Its presence alone in the deep forests it inhabits is enough to frighten most travelers. This pokemon makes for a strong-willed, balanced, and extremely protective ally.

Its habitats are the deepest of forests, usually surrounded by Whillie and Whirlie, though they tend to give the Whallie a wide berth.

Normal color: Light, Wood-Brown body, Deep Green leaves, Light Tan Whirlie-blades, Blackish soil

Shiny color: Turquoise body, Autumn Red leaves, Pale Green Whirlie-blades, Brownish soil

**Not impressed? If you like Fire-types better, hit that little 'next' button.**

**Bane: Hit it!**


	64. Pokefile: Riki-Family

_Uploaded March 7__th__, 2013_

**Riki, Tiki, and Tavi!**

**Bane: …Dude, really?**

This is the continuation of a segment on the three Starter-Pokemon I present to beginning trainers in Towns such as Littlelog and Venera. I will go in pokedex order, hoping to compile such a device for Kenewyore soon – I was given this request by a Knight of the Royal Court, and shall do my best in fulfilling that request. In this segment are numbers 004, 005, and 006 – Riki, the basic-stage; Tiki, the first-stage; and Tavi, the final-stage.

Riki - the Face Totem Pokemon

A basic Pokemon. Evolves into Tiki when leveling up past level 16.

Fire-type

A small totem pole Pokemon.

Height: 7in.

Length: 2ft. 3in.

Weight: 23lb.

Description: It is a small, one-head-high, totem pole pokemon, with a red face and orange markings on the sides. Its face is a smile of brown, wooden teeth, and its eyes are yellow. It has two, round, red ears sticking out from its sides and a flame hovering and flickering over its small, wooden head/body.

Habitats are few, and are often limited to research centers and sometimes less advanced villages, wherein the latter they are often found imitating actual totem poles.

Normal color: Red body with Orange markings

Shiny color: Blue body with Green markings

Did You Know?

~Riki is a fun-loving pokemon more often than not, but its attitudes can change drastically when it evolves.

~Although Riki seems small and weak, its flame can literally turn white-hot when angered.

Tiki - the Face Totem Pokemon

A first-stage Pokemon. Evolves from Riki when leveling up past level 16. Evolves into Tavi when leveling up past level 36.

Fire/Grass dual-type

A medium-sized totem pole Pokemon.

Height: 4ft. 6in.

Weight: 44lb.

Description: A two-head-high totem pole, comprised of its former head on the top and a new head below. This new head is orange with a perpetually angry facial expression. It has yellow and purple, tribal markings upon its face and two wing-like 'ears' on either side of this head. Its top is exactly identical to its pre-evolution, but the flame hovering just above its head is now larger. With this head also comes the emotional capabilities of anger and eagerness. With this comes the ability for it to feel angry at those who would threaten its trainer, and the ability to feel a sense of injustice to a wrong, or a way to ventilate issues. With this, however, comes a temper that is not easily tamed, making most beginning trainers choose Whirlie or Zzublee as their starter, rather than Tiki.

Normal color: Red top face with Orange markings, Orange bottom face with Yellow and Purple markings

Shiny color: Blue top face with Green markings, Green bottom face with Purple and Orange markings

Tavi - the Face Totem Pokemon

A second-stage Pokemon. Evolves from Tiki when leveling up past level 36.

Fire/Grass dual-type

A large totem pole Pokemon.

Height: 6'9"

Weight: 65lb.

Description: A three-head-tall totem pole, with its two previous heads on top and a new head added to the base. This new head is green with red and purple markings and a very somber expression stuck upon it. With this new head comes the first real difference in ability, as its Grass-type capabilities increase heavily with this new form. Once again, this new head adds strength to the fire, as well as a range of emotions to its emotional capabilities. It can now sympathize with its trainer and, due to its maturity, can handle its anger very well. This pokemon makes for a versatile, temperate, and powerful ally.

Normal color: Red top face with Orange markings, Orange middle face with Yellow and Purple markings, Green bottom face with Red and Purple markings

Shiny color: Blue top face with Green markings, Green middle face with Purple and Orange markings, Red bottom face with Blue and Orange markings

**Not a fan of Grass **_**or**_** Fire-types? Sheesh – I guess you're a Water-type lover. No offence, my best friend actually is.**

**Bane: He kicked your butt **_**bad**_** last time you battled him.**

**BANE!**


	65. Pokefile: Zzublee-Family

_Uploaded March 7__th__, 2013 (three in a row!)_

**WARNING! PLEASE READ! If you just went to the latest chapter, please go back two more – I have added the Pokefiles (pokedex entries, more or less) for all the Kenewyore Region starter-pokemon!**

This is the completion of a segment on the three Starter-Pokemon I present to beginning trainers in Towns such as Littlelog and Venera. I will go in pokedex order, hoping to compile such a device for Kenewyore soon – I was given this request by a Knight of the Royal Court, and shall do my best in fulfilling that request. In this segment are numbers 007, 008, and 009 – Zzublee, the basic-stage; Zapnemone, the first-stage; and Glotavelee, the final-stage.

Zzublee - the Water Cutter Pokemon

A basic Pokemon. Evolves into Zapnemone when leveling up past level 14.

Water-type

A small water snake Pokemon.

Length: 2ft. 7in.

Weight: 4lb.

Description: It is a small, blue, water-snake with a thin body that cuts through the water. It has purple hair lining it from its head back to most of its body length, and purple tentacles come out of this hair, with small voltages of electricity going through them. Its body is 75% water, and it has been known to be able to camouflage into clear water well when threatened or playing pranks.

Habitats are few, being mostly research centers and a handful that can be spotted yearly in a few rivers.

Normal color: Sapphire Blue body with Purple hair and tentacles

Shiny color: Shining Yellow body with White hair and tentacles

Did You Know?

~Zzublee are famous for pulling pranks on travelers and pokemon who stop at streams to wash their faces or get a drink. These pranks include spraying people with water gun, splashing water at them and, on occasion, zapping them with the small voltages of electricity in their tentacles.

~In preparation for evolution, Zzublee coat themselves in a liquid-like substance and wrap themselves, coil-upon-coil, until they form a round stack. They then coat themselves in the substance again, forming the cube of the Zaonemone, which it transforms into upon completion of evolution.

Zapnemone- the Water Block Pokemon

A first-stage Pokemon. Evolves from Zzublee when leveling up past level 14. Evolves into Glotavelee when leveling up past level 38.

Water-type

A water-cube anemone Pokemon.

Height: 3'5"

Weight: 14lb.

Description: An unfortunately gelatin-cube shaped pokemon which does retain its hair and tentacles upon its crown – this form makes it an easy target for most predators and trainers, as it does not retain its camoflauge ability upon evolving. Thus, to defend itself, its body produces a very foul odor (some have literally equated it to foul-smelling sewage) and, due to its retaining its tentacles its electricity is nearly invaluable in terms of self-defense. In this stage it is incapable of some of its techniques from its previous form, and acts in a more defense-oriented manner.

Habitats are rare-to-nonexistent, but some have been spotted rarely in the rivers Zzublee can be found in.

Normal color: Sapphire Blue body and Purple hair and tentacles

Shiny color: Shining Yellow body and White hair and tentacles

Did You Know?

~Zapnemone were, quite literally mistaken for gelatin as early as the late 18th century, when King Reginald asked his chef to prepare him gelatin. The chef was racked with orders to feed the entire Navy, who was docked there for reprieve, and so ran from the kitchen in a panic. While he was gone, he found the Zapnemone. Believing it an amazingly fortunate discovery, he swooped some up from the riverbed in a net and brought it back to his kitchen. However, as he washed the jelly-pokemon off (to insure it was clean), he awoke the apparently-sleeping pokemon, causing a riot in the kitchen. On a completely unrelated note, a new chef was hired the next day.

Glotavelee - the Voltage Eel Pokemon

A second-stage Pokemon. Evolves from Whillie when leveling up past level 34.

Water/Electric dual-type

A Serpent-Eel Pokemon.

Length: 7'14" (…)

Weight: 400.34lb

Description: A much larger form of Zzublee, now that its cocoon-like form of Zapnemone is over? …Not exactly. It keeps its blue, serpentine body, retains its purple hair and tentacles (though they only cover the first two feet of it now), and glides through water easily, but gets much different after that. It has two, medium-sized arms reaching about a foot-and-a-half each, with three, claw-like fingers per hand. It has electrical, lightning-shaped eye-markings above its eyes and along the length of its body that glow and pulsate in relation to its emotions (slowly and dimly when sad, quickly flashing when mad, etc…), a fin-like structure surrounding the top and bottom of its tail, and it can send electrical pulses through the nearby water. It also has an internal cooling sac, which keeps it from drying out in the harshest of deserts and gives it the ability to naturally survive arctic temperatures as well. This pokemon makes for a swift, strategic, and very loyal ally.

Habitats are next-to-none, but some have claimed to see them in the arctic mountain rivers of Northern Kenewyore.

Normal color: Sapphire Blue body, Purple hair and tentacles, Yellow electric markings

Shiny color: Shining Yellow body, White hair and tentacles, Vibrant Green electric markings

**What do you think? Worth the wait?**

**Bane: …Are you ever gonna-**

**A big thanks and shout-out to Musical2Day, Key2DestNE, Adm1333, FunFanFicForYou, Sharkness, and Guest!**

**Bane: …And you answered my question before I asked it.**

**Well, you're my OC. Due to that, I know what you shall say before-**

**Bane: Gokunaka Fruit!**

…**What?**

**Bane: Bring the Gokunaka Fruit into this story!**

…**Saw that coming, I did not.**

**Bane: Showed you up, I did. B)**

…**You and your dang smilies. Fine, I'll bring the Gokunaka Fruit (Goku Fruit for short) in. But you won't know when!**

**Bane: …Yeah, I will.**

…**Poo.**

**Bane: By the way = PLOT-RELATED LINE! = What's that Venera place?**

**Venera? Oh, well you know how Littlelog is a town just north of Puzzlin?**

**Bane: *nods* Yes, go on…**

**Well, Venera is a town just to the SOUTH of Puzzlin.**

**Bane: …So, Storm's dad makes trips to both?**

**Yup.**

**Bane: …How does he do that when he's in Gnawton?**

**Well, you see… Huh, that's a good questio- He has an assistant do it for him! Yeah!**

**Bane: …Yeah, didn't make that up on the spot *sarcasm*.**

***GLARE***

**Bane: You already did that several chapters ago.**

**No, I did this: *G*L*A*R*E* See the difference?**

**Bane: …Banter getting too long. Must end!**

**End. And don't worry readers, I'l be adding a story chapter this weekend! (maybe tomorrow if I'm lucky) So stay tuned!**


	66. Chapter 52: Contest - Continued!

_Uploaded March 10__th__, 2013_

**MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Behold, my readers, I lied to you not! Here; a chapter!**

**Bane: Yup, a chapter… of the pokemon story… not mine…**

**Oh, chill. I'm uploading one of your chapters now.**

**Bane: Yippee!**

I got up somewhat refreshed and looked to see Bane and his pokemon, including Squirtle now, asleep nearby. I got out from the sheets, now in a different wardrobe since the last night. I wore a jean jacket; forest green t-shirt, jeans and black-and-white tennis shoes with white laces.

After doing my morning routine, I returned my pokemon, choosing to eave both Hitmonlee and Furyash out, and went out to find Alysson on a couch… talking to Sir George. I dove under a table nearby.

"Fury?" Furyash asked me with concern.

"You remember that guy I told you I met when I found your egg?" I asked. Furyash nodded. "He hangs out with the guy talking to Alysson."

After a couple of minutes, the tablecloth was pulled up to reveal Alysson's face. "You know you're gonna have to face them sooner or later, right?" she asked as she helped me up.

"I prefer later," I replied, walking over to the TV, which had another thing about the Pokemon World Tournament. "Boy, that's sure getting popular, isn't it?"

"Seems so," Alysson agreed, turning the TV off. "Storm, I gotta tell you something."

I stood up straight. "Go ahead," I said.

"…Sir Barney wants to introduce us to Sir George and Sir Roderick," she started. "And Sir George wants to see _all_ of us before he leaves… And Sir Roderick seemed genuinely interested in meeting you."

I put on a puzzled look, whilst trying to figure a way out of this one. I doubted Sirs Roderick and George were going to miss the tournament now that Sir Barney wanted to introduce us. And I also figured Sir George would pay a few more visits to us before we left, and that I couldn't avoid all of them. And just dropping out of the tournament wasn't really an option, cause my family needed the poke… This was quite the pickle.

"I don't think there's a way out of this, Storm," Alysson said, grabbing my attention back from my thoughts. "I think you're just gonna have to face him."

I thought for another moment, then gave a broad smirk. "Well, what if I can get him to take a look at me from a subjective point of view?" I asked slyly.

"Okay, I gotta hear this," Bane said, entering the scene with Anorith on his shoulder. "What ya' got?"

I chuckled. "What if I wore a disguise? Just during my next match? Then Sir Roderick wouldn't know who I was, and might get a liking for me."

Alysson and Bane thought this over. "It's risky," Alysson commented.

"But it might just work," Bane added, smirking. "Yeah, I think it could work."

"Wait a second!" Alysson interrupted. "Even if it does work, I doubt Roderick would just bury the hatchet. He doesn't seem like the forgiving type, and after what you said to him…"

Bane chuckled at the memory. "Majestic presence," he giggled. "…Yeah, he won't have forgotten that."

I sighed as we got up and headed for the door. "Well, I suppose I could just let him watch my battle. He won't stop a battle, right?" The doors opened and there stood Sir George.

"…Hello, Sir George," I said, trying to look less nervous than I was. "…How are you, Sir?"

"I am well, thank you," Sir George replied. "It's nice to see you again. Though I must say I have some questions about why you disappeared last night."

I gave a dry chuckle. "Believe me, Sir, I think you'll know in a little bit,"

Well, we talked just a little bit; nothing much, just me telling him my match was the first of the day, us talking a bit about the Pokemon World Tournament, and some small talk.

We then walked with Sir George, with Bane staying as far as he reasonably could, to the tournament hall. Once at the hall, Sir George wished me luck and left with Bane and Alysson to go watch the match with Sir Barney.

"George!" I turned and saw Sir Barney running to catch up with Sir George. "Sorry I'm a bit late; Roderick and I were having… a chat."

"Indeed," I heard the unmistakable voice of Sir Roderick standing _right_ behind me. "Is this the other boy you told me about, Barney?" I assumed he meant me.

"Is it?" Sir George asked with a broad smile. "Why, Roderick, this is the same boy I told you about! The one who battled and defeated Gym Leader Rocky with exquisite skill, if you don't mind my saying so." He had said the last part to me and I shrugged.

"Not at all, Sir," I replied. "It's an honor."

"Well, let's have a look at you, then," Roderick said, sounding like he wanted to get it over with.

Well, I knew that he would've recognized me anyways, but I thought I might as well make it more fun. I turned around, gave a smirk and a bow. "Your illustriousness!" I started, having bowed before he could see my face. "It is an honor to see you again, nay, to look upon your-"

"Majestic presence?" Roderick finished with me in shock as I looked up. "You! You're that brat that-" He was cut off, however, by Sir George's laughter.

"Are you really?" he struggled out. "Are you really the boy from Puzzlin that we met on Route 7?" I gave a nod, prompting him to laugh uproariously.

"Insolent child!" And there it was. I turned back to a steaming Sir Roderick. "Why, I ought to-" But Sir George stepped between us. "Move, George."

"But don't you remember?" George asked Roderick. "After you said you would wring the boy's neck for that line, I said I would reward him. My first reward is preventing you from mutilating the boy prematurely."

"First?" I asked in surprise. "Sir, you're rewarding me for a smart-aleck comment? That's not really necessary, Sir."

Sir George waved off my comment as Sir Roderick continued to glare at me. "Not at all, my boy… Though I'd like to make this interesting." He turned to me with a smirk. "You seem like the kind that would appreciate a wager, do you not?"

I backed off a little. "Well, Sir, I hardly think-"

"What kind of wager, your Sir-ness?" Bane interrupted, throwing an arm over my shoulder.

Sir George chuckled as Sir Barney approached. "You know him, George?" he asked.

"Indeed," George replied. "But I think that would be a story best told over dinner… If you all would care to join us, it would be our pleasure."

"What!?" Roderick, Bane, Alysson and myself shouted. "You… You want us to have dinner with- with- with-" Bane whacked me on the back. "You!?" I shouted out.

Sir George chuckled and Roderick leaned close to him. "George, surely you aren't serious," he muttered, loud enough for us to hear (though I think that was on purpose).

"Indeed I am, Sir Roderick," he replied with a cool look. "Perhaps you should watch the boy in battle before you judge him too harshly." Roderick agreed, albeit begrudgingly, then left to the arena seating. "You mustn't mind him," George said to us as he too began to leave. "He's just a bit… agitated."

"Quite so," Sir Barney agreed. "He prefers the mountain air of Doriant. The fresh field air can be… and aggravation to him."

"Well, as for the wager," Sir George continued quickly. "What about this? If you can win the next round, I shall reward you with 1000 poke." My eyes bulged at this. "If you win the tournament… Well, the winnings shall depend on your total tally of conscious pokemon."

"Sir George!" Sir Barney shouted in shock. "Gambling? That really is beneath you."

"It's not a gamble," George replied, feigning indignance. "I am merely adding some incentive for the boy. A young man needs reasons to fight, you know," he added, looking at me.

I'm not sure why, but for some reason I got fairly offended by that remark. "Pardon me, Sir, but I _do_ have a reason to fight," I replied, keeping a respectful, yet strong approach.

He seemed a bit surprised, but held his stance. "…Of course," he replied after a moment. "…I look forward to observing you." And with that, he left.

Sir Barney gave me an approving nod and left with Bane and Alysson to watch my match. I headed straight for the arena and returned Hitmonlee for now, agreeing that I would use him in this match, no matter what, in exchange.

I walked out as the announcer announced my name and such, quickly spotting Bane, Alysson and Sir Barney in their usual location, and Sirs Roderick and George not far from them, Roderick scowling at me as I expected.

I then looked as the announcer announced my opponent. _"And, from the northerly town of Doriant, welcome once more, Gregory Larynx!"_ An old man in a brown traveler's cloak was standing opposite me, waving politely to the cheering crowd. _"Now, let's get the final match of this round started!"_

The official raised his flags and lowered them swiftly, hollering, "Begin!"

Gregory released a Mismagius and I chose Furyash, who was already out. "Mismagius, use shadow ball!" Gregory opened. Mismagius prepared a shadow ball to fire at Furyash.

"Furyash, use flamethrower!" Furyash loosed a stream of fire at Mismagius, halting its attack.

"Well done!" Gregory congratulated, giving a nod. "But I am not old with age alone! Mismagius, use shadow bomb!" Mismagius prepared a slightly larger, more dangerous-looking ball of shadow.

"Furyash, agility and fly away!" I countered, assuming that the attack wouldn't be stopped as easily as before. Furyash flew rapidly around the arena, preparing to dodge the attack.

"Now, Mismagius!" Gregory commanded. Mismagius loosed the attack… which slowly floated forward at about two miles-per-hour. I stopped and stared at the ball of black as it slowly moved forward.

"…Furyash, use ember on the ball," I commanded. Furyash shot embers at the ball, and it exploded! Furyash was sent a ways away, but caught himself quickly.

"Now use magical leaf!" I looked behind Furyash to see Mismagius preparing to shoot leaves at my firebird.

"Furyash!" But I was too late, and the attack connected, almost entirely hitting Furyash's left wing! "No!" Furyash began struggling to keep itself aloft, so I returned it to prevent further injuries.

…Well, I tried, but Furyash dodged the beam of red. "…Why are all my pokemon so stubborn?" I asked myself as I shook my head. "Well, Furyash, let's give him all we've got!"

Furyash gave a loud cry and began to support itself better. "…A foolish decision," I heard Gregory comment. I looked to him in surprise and he shook his head. "Is a competition really worth the safety of your pokemon? Really?"

I gave him a glare, mimicked by my own Furyash. "I only mean to say that one should care more for their pokemon," he added. That did it.

"Hey!" I shouted, almost entirely silencing the arena. "Don't you dare question my care for my pokemon!" I glanced up and saw Mismagius approaching Furyash. "Furyash, turnabout-corkscrew!" I countered the trap Gregory had laid by distracting me.

Furyash flipped upside-down and spun while cloaked in fire, at Mismagius, slamming into the ghost-type and doing some fair damage. "Well played," Gregory congratulated. "I see you didn't fall for my trick, young one."

I kept my eyes on the sky-field as I listened. "Thanks, but no thanks," I replied. "I think I'll take my compliments from my friends. Furyash, flame charge!"

Furyash rushed the Mismagius, slamming into it and KOing the poke! The crowd cheered as Gregory returned his pokemon. "Well," Gregory began. "If you shall not take compliments, I will give you advice: Be prepared to lose!" With that he released his second pokemon; Forretress.

"…You're picking a pokemon that has an immense weakness to Fire-types?" I asked in shock.

"Ahh, but typing is not everything!" Gregory replied. "Forretress, use zap cannon!" Forretress prepared a sphere of electricity and shot it off quickly.

"Furyash, dodge it and flamethrower!" Furyash spun around the blast and shot a blaze at Forretress, Koing it instantly. "…Seriously?" I asked in shock. I knew the guy was odd, but two KO's instantly? Something was _not_ right.

The old man chuckled as he returned Forretress, adding to my suspicions. "Indeed, how could any trainer be so daft as to put himself in such a disadvantageous position?" he asked, putting away Forrestress' pokeball and getting a purple pokeball with two pink circles from his other pocket. My eyes widened at the sight of it. "You see, I believe in giving my opponents a 'freebie', so-to-speak, before I release my full power against them! Consider Forrestress yours."

"Furyash, get ready," I warned Furyash as Gregory prepared to release the pokemon. I mentally prepared myself as well, and then Gregory released a huge, fiery, flying Moltres!

The crowd stood in shock at the fearsome Fire-type legendary pokemon's appearance. I was dumbfounded. "Is that even legal!?" I heard someone – I'm pretty sure it was Bane – shout from the stands.

The referee, along with two other officials, examined the rulebook for a minute, then broke their huddle. "It is allowed!" the main referee said, earning cries of shock and unfairness. "Also, the tournament actually does allow substitutions… One of our junior judges – Harold!" The referee glared at a yonger looking referee, who hung his head in shame. "…Misunderstood what _'only three pokemon allowed during any one battle' _meant."

"…" With that, I returned Furyash and released Shellder. Shellder puffed itself strongly, then looked up at its opponent. Its eyes dilated to barely-visible pupils and it began hopping away. "Shell," I said, stopping it with my foot. "Don't worry-"

"SHELL!?" it shouted… Yeah, you should hear what he's saying. "WHAT!? ARE YOU INSANE!? Look, you can play master trainer all you want; sure, go jump a cliff while riding a Rapidash that farts rainbows or whatever, but let **me** live!"

I stared at it… I had a fair idea of what it was thinking (minus the whole 'Rapidash farting rainbows' thing), and so had a good idea of how to reply. "…I'll get you a water stone if you can beat it," I offered.

He was about to protest, but then thought for a minute. "…Water stone?" he asked himself. "No more spinning to walk? Okay, I still wouldn't have legs, but then I could roll! Like a big, spiky wheel! Able to destroy all that stands in my way! …But, then again…" He looked up at the Moltres, which was preening its fiery wings. "…It's scary…water stone… scary…water stone… scary…water stone…Bah! I'm goin' in!" he shouted, hopping back into place.

"Thanks, Shellder!" I shouted, smiling. Shellder turned back and gave me a raspberry. "…Just use water gun." Shellder sprayed water at the inferno-bird, earning a grunt of pain, but little more.

"Ha!" Gregory shouted. "Moltres, use sunny day, then solarbeam!" Moltres have a battle caw and the sky brightened a good bit, warming the air around us. Then it absorbed light and fired an immensely powerful solarbeam at Shellder.

"Shellder, spin!" I cried frantically. Shellder barely avoided the ray of light-power, continuing to move about even as the beam chased him. "Keep going, Shellder!" I encouraged.

"Moltres, use hurricane!" Gregory called, switching tactics. Moltres flapped its wings together, creating a mini-tornado, then launched it at Shellder! Strangely, the winds in it seemed to be unfocussed and it missed Shellder. "What on Pokearth!?" Gregory cried.

I then remembered something from my dad's research, then motioned for Shellder to move in. "Really, Greg?" I called, drawing his attention. "You didn't know this?"

"What are you babbling about?" he called over, angry that his attack missed by so much.

"Hurricane's accuracy depends on the weather," I explained. "Normally, its accuracy is shoddy, but still fairly accurate. However, in rain the attack is nearly unavoidable, and in sun it hardly ever hits. And, thanks to you, the sun is shining!" I said, pointing at the blindingly white sun.

"Gah! No!" Gregory cried out. "It can't be!"

"Oh yeah!" I called, Shellder now right where I needed him. "By the way, thanks for the strategy – now Shellder!" Gregory was confused for a moment, then saw that Shellder was positioned right behind Moltres. Shellder shut its shell and an aqua-blade came out, then he spun upward, slashing right across the enormous bird's back!

Moltres shouted in pain and stumbled forward from Shellder new razor shell! "Moltres!" Greg cried out. "Get that half-baked piece of sushi with solarbeam!" Moltres spun and blasted Shellder with the attack, launching him skyward and KOing him at the same time.

"Shellder!" I shouted, returning my pokemon to spare it from the drop.

"Wow, folks!" the announcer boomed. "Storm may have gotten a close-range razor shell in there, but Gregory's magnificent Moltres sent it flying with one hit! Keep that channel right where it is, because this match is gonna get good!"

"I just hope I can make it through it," I muttered, staring the firebird down.

**Bane: WHAT THE HERACROSS!? YOU GOT A MOLTRES INTO YOUR STORY!**

**Yup. Jealous?**

**Bane: …A little. But how do you expect to explain this!? **

**You see people on Wi-fi battles with Moltres all the time.**

**Bane: …Fair enough. Well, people, you heard and read him. Umm…**

**What? Something in my teeth?**

**Bane: Are we gonna ask people to review?**

**Well, I do appreciate their reviews; especially the comments and particular likings and fancies of people. Also, I think the reviews have resulted in many fun little extras – don't you?**

**Bane: …So we **_**are**_** gonna ask 'em to review?**

**Oh, heavens, no. We're just gonna bug 'em till they do. :)**

**Bane: …Okay… Please review!**

**DANG IT! I wanted to bug people. OOH! Speaking of people…**

**Storm: Thanks for the review, Musical2day! Though, Halestorming, my namesake, did expect more reviews to the chapter that thanked reviewers in.**

**Bane: Yeah, that was odd. Adios, mi tostitos!**

**Storm: …Can I battle him sometime? Please?**

…**I'll consider it.**


	67. Chapter 53: Moltres and the Semi-Finals!

_Uploaded March 28__th__, 2013_

**Well, here!**

**Bane: …That's it?**

**Yeah – college is getting more hectic at the moment with last minute tests before finals and all.**

**Bane: Right… Glad I don't have to do that! :D**

…***GLARE OF DOOM!***

**Bane: GLARE OF DOOM had no effect! Bane used Mock! It's super-effective! BD**

…**well, poo.**

I then thought over my options. _Furyash is still a little tired out from his battles, Shiekire is not really prepared to handle this kind of battle and… Well, he's my best option at the moment. _I pulled a pokeball out and tossed it up, releasing Hitmonlee.

Hitmonlee looked up at the firebird and staggered back a bit. He turned to me and glared. "MON!?" he shouted, basically saying the same thing Shellder did at first.

"Why are all of you guys reacting like that?" I asked my Fighting-type. "It's not that terrible… Okay, yes, it's a kind of a legendary, but still! …You can take him!" I encouraged very lacklusterly.

Hitmonlee just stared at me, silently saying, 'Really?'

"Okay, he ain't gonna be easy!" I consented as the crowd muttered, Bane watched closely, Alysson twiddled her thumbs, Moltres yawned and Gregory picked his nose. "But, look, we've come too far to let a giant fire-turkey stop us now! So, are you with me or not?" Hitmonlee seemed surprised, if not slightly impressed by my outburst.

…_He's really serious, isn't he?_ Hitmonlee asked himself, looking right into my eyes. Trust me – the look I gave him, you can't fake. "…Mon, monlee!" Hitmonlee said, turning and facing Moltres in a battle stance.

"Awesome!" I cheered. "Hitmonlee, use mega kick!" Hitmonlee rushed toward Moltres and launched his leg, slamming into the great bird's torso.

"What!?" Gregory shouted in shock. "Moltres, use hurricane!" Moltres flapped its wings and shot a massive blast of wind at Hitmonlee.

"Dodge it!" I shouted. Hitmonlee avoided the blast well, then shot another kick at the bird.

"Moltres, into the sky!" Gregory hollered. Moltres shot into the sky and looked at Hitmonlee from above, flapping its wings steadily to stay afloat. "Now, use air slash!"

Moltres shot waves of wind-energy at Hitmonlee. "Hitmonlee, dodge and weave!" I called out. Hitmonlee ran around the arena, dodging several strike-attempts. Unfortunately, I then noticed something; the sun wasn't very bright anymore. I looked up to the sky to see clouds blocking the sun from view.

"Aha!" Gregory shouted, apparently noticing the same thing. "Now, Moltres, hurricane!" Moltres sent a blast of wind at Hitmonlee, creating a hurricane that sucked Hitmonlee right into it.

"Hitmonlee!" I called, trying to see my friend in the windy storm cloud. Suddenly he flew out, slamming into the ground, KO'd.

"Hitmonlee is unable to battle!" the referee called. "Point to Gregory!"

The crowd cheered as the announcer began. _"Whoa! And again, we're given an amazing display of power by this Doriant man, Gregory Larynx!" _I took a deep breath as he went on. _"I don't know how Storm expects to get out of this one! With only his Furyash left, he's in quite the pickle."_

He was right – the only pokemon I could use was Furyash. I pulled out Furyash's pokeball and released my partner. Furyash fluttered his wings and flew enough to hover off the ground. He stared into Moltres eyes, fear almost non-existent, and gave a loud battle cry. Moltres returned the cry with one of equal strength.

"Furyash!" I started. "Get ready to give it everything you've got!" Furyash gave another cry and flew up, nearer to Moltres.

"Moltres!" Gregory shouted up to the Kantoan bird. "Use ancientpower!"

"Furyash, fly!" I shouted immediately. Furyash began flying away even as stones began ripping themselves from the ground. Then the stones flew at Furyash. Luckily, the stones couldn't turn, so once they were sent flying, they were set. Furyash dodged the stones well, missing every one but the last, which was very small, but still knocked him off-balance.

"Moltres, again!" Gregory shouted.

"Dang it!" I muttered. Furyash was good, but cold he outrun another odd dozen rocks? I suddenly heard Furyash give a great cry and looked up; he circling a small area of the sky where the sun was shining on him. Then I remembered something I had read when researching Karryash/Furyash.

'_The Karryash line, as a Fire-type, is best known for the fact that its power is greatly increased in the sun. Although most Fire-type pokemon's attacks are increased in bright sunlight, it seems that all strengths of a pokemon of this line increase in the sunlight.'_

With that knowledge in mind, I had an idea. "Furyash, agility!" I called out. Furyash flew with great speed, going almost as fast as Shiekire (for those of you who don't know, a Shiekire ranks within the top 10 fastest unevolved pokemon, and its evolution, Drashiek, is one of the top 5 fastest pokemon of all time).

The stones came, but Furyash flew around them with great grace and speed. "Great job, Furyash!" I congratulated my firebird.

"HA!" Gregory shouted. "Let's see how well your pokemon does against an empowered Moltres! Moltres, use tailwind, then secret power!" Moltres gave a shrill cry and a powerful wind began blowing behind it, then it shot a blast of energy at Furyash.

I tried to shout for Furyash to dodge, but it was too late. Furyash was hit hard by the blast, and was apparently paralyzed. "Furyash!" I cried out.

"Aha!" Gregory cheered as Furyash fell to the ground. "Now, Moltres! Use ancientpower!" Moltres gave a 'caw' as stones were lifted up around it. "You did well, boy," Gregory complimented me. "But I'm afraid-"

"Stop right there!" I shouted, halting his gloating. "The match isn't over yet! I might've only met Furyash less than a month ago, and we haven't got many badges or trophies or a great title, but as long as we're willing and able, we'll never surrender!"

I saw Furyash get up slowly, still paralyzed as the first stone shot toward him. As it neared, the sunlight shone brighter on Furyash, who cried out with great strength. He was still paralyzed, but he let loose a white flame from his beak, blasting the rock apart!

Everyone was shocked by the attack, including me. "Furyash!" I called in surprise. "Keep that white fire going!" Furyash shot at each stone, blasting it apart, but I've told you that Gregory's sneaky, right? The last two stones came at Furyash from in front and behind him! "Jump!" I shouted. Furyash struggled for a moment, then leaped over the stones, which destroyed each other. "Now, hit Moltres with that white fire!"

"Moltres, match it with your own flamethrower!" Gregory challenged. Furyash and Moltres each shot their flame-attacks, colliding in the middle and forming a stream of white-and-red fire, both meeting in the middle. "Moltres! Defeat that lesser bird!" Gregory ordered.

Moltres' fire began to push farther in the stream. "Furyash, give it all you've got!" I encouraged. Furyash cried out as the white flame quickly overtook the stream, blasting into Moltres and shooting it into the wall opposite.

Gasps of shock filled the air as smoke covered the spot Moltres hit. We watched to see what had happened.

Meanwhile, Bane, Alysson and Sir Barney watched from the side…

"…Whoa…" Bane said quietly. "Did that just happen?"

"I know, right?" Alysson asked. "It… was just amazing. What attack was that, Sir Barney?" she asked the Knight seated beside her. "…Sir Barney?"

She turned to see Sir Barney watching Furyash with intense focus. "That flame…" he said quietly. "I haven't seen that flame since…!" Suddenly, Moltres cried out, flinging itself from the crash site.

"Yes, Moltres!" Gregory cheered. "Now, show him why he'll never amount to us! Roost!"

"No!" I panicked. If Moltres was able to heal, we wouldn't have a chance against it. As Moltres leaned down to heal, I acted fast. "Furyash, white fire!" I shouted.

A flame of white shot at Moltres, blasting the bird back and into the wall. It staggered forward then fell, knocked out. The crowd was silent, then erupted with cheers as I gave a breath of relief.

"No!" Gregory shouted as the referee declared Moltres unconscious. "Moltres is a legendary pokemon! It can't be defeated!" The referee tried to explain, but Gregory wouldn't hear it – it took three security guards to remove him.

I walked out as the announcer went on. _"An amazing turn-around by Storm Craigson! Give him something to listen to, folks!"_ The crowd cheered and applauded as I left, heading for the box Barney and my friends sat in.

I met Bane first at the stairs next to the seating. "Dude!" he shouted with a big grin. "You beat a Moltres!"

I gave a nod and a chuckle. "Yeah, guess I did," I replied, taking my seat.

Alysson gave me a hug. "You did it!" she cheered. She let go and we smiled. I then looked to Sir Barney to find him in a thinking pose. He was mumbling a bit, but I couldn't quite make out what he was saying.

"Sir Barney?" I asked as he sat there.

He looked up and smiled. "An excellent match, my boy!" he congratulated me. "Well done! Not many trainers of your experience could handle a Moltres!"

"More-or-less," we heard nearby. You wanna try and guess which snobby, slick-haired knight said that? We turned to find Sirs Roderick and George standing behind us. "That Moltres was very under-trained," Roderick continued. "Not to mention that its trainer was rather a disappointment."

Bane glared at the doofus and Alysson looked slightly tweaked, but I raised my eyebrow in suspicion. "So, I did poorly?" I asked with some hint of sarcasm.

"Not poorly, per se," Roderick said in a detached way. "More like unskilled."

"Hey!" Bane shouted, standing up to Roderick. "Knight or nitwit, no one insults my friend!"

"You would do well to remember your place," Roderick said with a threatening glare. "Or must I show you again how far below my level you are?" he said in reference to the battle they had had back in Littlelog, just before I met Bane.

"Please!" Bane challenged back. "I've come a long way since then! I've got me two badges now!"

Roderick gave an uproarious laugh and by now some of the onlookers began to look at us. "Two badges? And you think that puts you on par with me?" he asked in an insulting manner. "Well, we have a _champion_ in our midst, don't we?"

"You-!" But I stopped Bane mid-shout.

"Okay, okay!" I hollered, trying to diffuse this Electrode. "No need to make a scene." At this point, Roderick and Bane noticed the people watching. "Let's just watch them announce the next round."

"…Fine," Bane said, giving Roderick one last glare before sitting down. Roderick and George also sat behind Sir Barney, and I even noticed Sirs George and Barney whispering to one-another as the speaker system crackled to life.

"_Hello, Pasturida!"_ the announcer boomed, drawing the audience's attention. _"We are now ready to announce the pairings for the semi-finals of the Pasturida Exhibition Tournament!"_ The crowd cheered as we watched the screen. The pictures of the four remaining participants appeared onscreen: Bane, Fioron (Ron), Xegnire (Xen), and myself. The pictures then spun very fast on a carousel and landed in the positions of the next round.

"_And the first match is between Bane, of the Solatropia Islands and Ron, of our own Pasturida!"_ the announcer boomed. _"The next match will be between Xegnire, of the __***STATIC***__ this dang microphone!"_ There was a pause and the announcer gave a cough. "And Storm of Puzzlin!"

I looked at the standings and saw Xen's ID; a big, pink hat. "…Huh. I guess they still haven't fixed Xen's picture," I said, causing Bane to snort an Alysson to giggle. "Well, Bane, you're up next."

"I am!" Bane announced. He walked down the stairs, then turned to Roderick. "Oh, Sir Roderick?" he asked politely. "You may want to watch this; you might just learn something."

Alysson and I had to hold our laughter back as George had to hold Roderick back. Barney shook his head in disappointment. "He really should learn _some_ respectful tendencies," he said. Though I could've sworn I saw the hint of a smirk on his face.

"Once again, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Bane!" We looked to see Bane walk onto the field. "And, his opponent, Ron!" Ron walked onto the other side of the field, his hat now raised and looking normal.

"Well, well," George said upon sighting Ron. "Is that not Gym Leader Fioron?"

"It is," Barney confirmed. "In fact, he indulged me in a battle yesterday."

Sir George seemed surprised but said nothing as the two stepped onto their positions. They each took out a pokeball as the referee raised his flags. "Ron, ready?" he asked. Ron gave a nod and looked full of thought. "Bane, ready?" he then asked.

Bane… was dancing. He moonwalked the perimeter of the field, then stopped. "Now I'm ready!" Bane shouted as the entirety of the arena stared at him.

"…Begin?" the referee said, lowering both flags semi-uncertainly.

Bane released his Anorith and Ron chose his Tiki, the evolved form of Riki he had used in battle with Sir Barney. "Anorith, cross poison!" Bane shouted.

Anorith scuttled near Tiki. "Tiki, use fire pledge!" Ron countered.

"Tik, tiki-tiki!" Tiki shouted, shooting fire at Anorith from its head-flame, enveloping the bug-pokemon in a column of flames.

"Anorith!" Bane called out. "Dig out of it!" We couldn't see what was happening, but when the flames died out Anorith was gone and there was a hole in the dirt.

"Dang it!" Ron shouted, scanning the field for any sign of Anorith. Suddenly he felt a tug on his pant leg. He turned to see Anorith with a wallet in its claws.

"Rith-rith?" Anorith asked, holding the wallet out to Ron.

"Huh?" Ron looked at the wallet and took it, opening it as well. "Oh, well waddaya know; this _is_ my wallet… Where'd you-" He turned to Anorith, but the bug was gone. He then turned back to the battlefield and saw Anorith staring down Tiki from the far side of the arena. "…How did he do that!?" Ron shouted in bewilderment.

Bane shrugged. "Beats me," he said, getting back into 'battle mode'. "Anorith, dig, then metal claw!" Anorith burrowed underground and Ron and Tiki watched warily.

Anorith sprung up behind tiki and slashed the totem pokemon's back. When Anorith landed Tiki turned, showing its lower, angry-looking face to Anorith. "TIK!" it shouted angrily, then shot a razor leaf at Anorith. "TIKI-TI!"

"Nice one, Tiki!" Ron cheered. "Now use ember!" Instead, Tiki shot another razor leaf, this time missing as Anorith dodged it. "Tiki, what's wrong with ya'?" Ron called, though his pokemon seemed to ignore it.

"What's wrong with Tiki?" Alysson asked as we watched.

Sir Barney was watching intently, so I answered her. "Well, the Riki-pokemon line is unusual in that it expresses only certain emotions at certain stages. Tiki has only the emotions of happiness, surprise, and confusion, if that one counts. When Riki evolves into Tiki it gains the ability to be angry, but that anger is very uncontrollable. Thus, the ticked-off Tiki before you."

Alysson returned her attention to the match as Anorith continued to dodge razor leafs shot by Tiki. "Anorith, use dig and cross poison!" Anorith dug underground, avoiding another razor leaf, then sprang up behind Tiki, delivering a finishing blow to the pokemon's back and leaving it knocked out!

"_And Tiki goes down!"_ the announcer announced while Ron returned Tiki. _"What pokemon shall Ron choose next – let's watch."_ Ron released his Camerupt. _"It's a Camerupt!"_ the narrator shouted once more as the crowd cheered.

"Camerupt, use flamethrower!" Ron opened immediately. Camerupt shot a stream of fire from its maw.

"Anorith, dig!" Bane countered. Anorith dug underground just as Bane saw Ron smirk. "Anorith, get out of there!"

"Camerupt, magnitude!" Ron shouted quickly. Camerupt hefted its body up, slamming the ground and making it shake.

Beneath the ground, Anorith was digging but stopped when it felt the shaking. _"Is it Tuesday already?"_ he asked himself even as the tunnel collapsed in on him.

"Anorith!" Bane called out to his poke. There was no response. The referee was about to come dig it out but suddenly, the ground shook powerfully.

"…That you, Camerupt?" Ron asked his pokemon. Camerupt shook its head 'no' and another shake came. This time rocks lifted themselves from the crash site, a blue glow about them. After several rocks came another rose, with Anorith sitting on it! Anorith's eyes were a psychic-blue as it hissed and clicked at Camerupt, while its scales clicked and its wing-like appendages fluttered.

"_A-amazing!"_ the announcer gasped out. _"Anorith is using ancientpower with amazing skill!"_

The audience gasped and muttered as Anorith floated a moment longer, then unleashed a the rocks at Camerupt with a mighty screech! "Camerupt, brace yer'self!" Ron warned. Camerupt took the first few well but the fifth knocked it on its side, allowing the last two to KO it.

"_An incredible display of power!"_ the announcer shouted as Ron begrudgingly returned his Camerupt. _"While Bane is still using his first pokemon, Ron is down to his last! What will Ron's final pokemon be?"_

Ron chuckled a bit before he pulled out his final pokeball. "I was plannin' on saving this one for the finals," Ron said, rolling the pokeball in his hands. "In case I had the pleasure of facing Storm there. But, I guess it'll be now. Gooooo-!" Ron released his pokemon, another fire-type and a-

"Whoa!" I shouted, staring at the winged pokemon. "Is that-…"

"It can't be!" Alysson said in twin shock.

"Incredible!" Barney declared, looking over Ron's red pokemon with surprise. "A Furyash!"

Indeed, Ron had released a Furyash much like my own. It shared the cocky expression, its wing beat was similarly steady, it even screeched when it was released like mine does! "Furyash, use flamethrower!" Ron began. The Fuyash shot a red flame at Anorith, knocking the bug off the rock and into Bane.

"Anorith!" Bane hollered, looking his bug-type over. "Are you okay?"

"Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na, Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na- _Rith-riiiith_!" Anorith sang dizzily. **Translation:** "Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na, Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-_Gligarman_!"

Bane returned Anorith and stared down the firebird before him, deciding which pokemon to use next.

**Halestorming used Plot Twist! It was super-effective!**

**Bane: Bane used… oh yeah, what pokemon **_**am**_** I gonna use?**

**Well, they call it a cliff-hanger for a reason.**

**Bane: Yeah: Cliff's my hanger-man. I give him all my bent and broken hangers.**

…**You are so warped.**

**Bane: Mucho gracias.**

…**Why do you always win?**

**Bane: Not always, just often. You won once! …Once… Just think about that… You lost to your own character… Yup.**

**SHUTTY! *earth-shaking***

**Bane: … :(**

**Better. Now-**

**Alysson: Read and Review! Hey, I haven't battle in forever.**

**True – I think I'll fix that soon… :)**

**Bane: …Cool.**


	68. Chapter 54: Bane VS Furyash!

**Chapter 54: Bane VS Furyash!**

_Uploaded June 11__th__, 2013_

…**How long has it been?**

**Bane: A while.**

…**You're helpful. Yup; I'm back! …again. No, I'm not gonna say 'I'm here to stay! I've got chapters galore! You won't go through a story drought ever again!' because that would be dumb. I'll write when I get the inspiration, post when I can, and just enjoy this story rather than treating it like a job.**

**Bane: Well said, my author. Well said.**

**Thanks. Anywho, now we have the long-awaited finish to Bane's battle!**

**Bane: Whoopee!**

I watched as Bane pulled out his next pokeball and released his Electabuzz, Bane Junior! "Bane Junior, use shock wave!" Bane called.

"BBBRRRRRR!" Bane Junior cried as he shot a wave of electricity at Ron's Furyash.

"Furyash, aerial ace!" Ron countered. Furyash flew out of the shockwave's path, then flew at near-invisible speed, hitting Bane Junior in the back! "Now use flamethrower!" His Furyash loosed a powerful, red flame at Bane Junior, weakening the near-newborn.

"Bane Junior!" Bane called. He returned his pokemon suddenly, then turned to the referee. "My pokemon's done," he declared, shocking the audience.

The judge was surprised too. "Are you sure about that?" he asked Bane.

Ban smirked and nodded. "Yeah; he only hatched a few days ago, so he's really not ready for this anyways."

This also surprised some people, including Sir Barney. "Well!" he started. "His Electabuzz is quite powerful for a newborn… And it's already evolved?"

"Outstanding," Sir George added from behind Sir Barney. Roderick merely observed with a sneer, as I assumed was usual for him. "That boy is quite the trainer, indeed… Don't you agree, Roderick?"

Roderick shrugged and we went back to observing the battle. "So, you gonna throw Porygon out now?" Ron asked, smirking a victorious smirk.

Bane gave him a smirk of his own. "Not quite," Bane said, tossing a pokeball up and down in his hand. "You aren't the only one who's got a few secret pokemon. Go!" he shouted, calling out his new Squirtle!

"What!?" Ron shouted, staggering back in shock. "Furyash, wing attack!" Furyash obeyed instantaneously, flying straight toward the little water-type.

"Squirtle, use withdraw!" Bane countered. Squirtle hid inside its shell and took the hit, popping out a moment later. "Now use water gun!"

"Squirt-Squirtle!" Squirtle called out, spraying water from its mouth at Furyash.

"Furyash, dodge!" Ron tried. Furyash flew, but was still hit by the attack. "Gah!" he cried, trying to think of a strategy to combat Bane's new pokemon. "Furyash, use sing!"

"What!?" Bane shouted. "Squirtle – withdraw!" he directed, not able to think of a better way to counter the attack.

Furyash sang in a bird voice, putting Squirtle to sleep and even making me a bit drowsy. Alysson hit my arm to keep me awake. "Really, Storm; first it was Gengar's hypnosis, now this?" She sighed. "What are you, sleep-deprived?"

I shrugged. "Guess I'm just over-susceptible to it," I said as Bane tried to awaken Squirtle.

"Wake up!" he shouted again. "Come on! Wakey-wakey! Time to battle! Get up! HEY! LISTEN! HEY! LISTEN!"

"Furyash, use aerial ace!" Ron called. Furyash flew at great speeds once more and slammed into Squirtle, knocking it out of its shell and KOing it as well.

"_Unbelievable!"_ the announcer said as Bane recalled his pokemon. _"Ron has turned around this loss and made it a win! What a great match! Well, after a break period of two hours, we'll have our other semi-final match! See ya' then, folks!"_

As the crowds cleared out of the arena, we met Bane just outside. "I don't need a sappy line, Storm," he said, in reference to what I had asked Alysson yesterday. "Besides, you need to get ready! You only have a couple of hours 'till your next match!"

"Quite right," Sir George said, walking up to us. "And I'm looking forward to that one, in particular… See you all later," he said, walking away. Roderick followed after glaring at me.

I sighed. "Sir Roderick doesn't like me, does he?" I asked, earning a snort of surprise from Alysson and a huge laugh from Bane.

"Are you kidding!?" he asked, knowing the answer. "His eye practically twitched itself out of its own socket when he found out that you were the guy who-… HA!" he burst out, beginning to laugh once more.

"Well, we can't please everyone, can we?" Sir Barney asked, giving a small sigh. "Well, I'll see you all later," he said, waving goodbye.

We went to the pokemon center to eat and heal our pokemon, and met Xen there. "Hey!" he greeted, walking over. "I saw you're match; it was awesome!" he said to Bane.

"Thanks," Bane said, shaking the guy's hand. "You're not half-bad, yourself. Where are you from, again?"

"Lumoise City," Xen replied. "It's in the Kalos region."

"Huh. I think I heard of that place once," Bane commented, thinking about it. "Isn't that the region shaped like a star?"

Xen nodded. "Yeah. It's pretty big, too. We even have our pokedex split into three sections!" We stared at him in shock.

"Seriously?" I asked. "How many pokemon are there?"

"Several!" he said. We talked a bit more about Kalosian pokemon like Helioptile, Pancham and Gogoat as we ate and had our pokemon healed. After a bit, the conversation hit a new topic.

"So, have you heard of the PWT?" Xen then asked us.

"Yeah," Bane said, now annoyed by the new topic. "I'm not a big fan, though."

Xen seemed puzzled, so I explained. "Bane's upset because none of the Kenewyorian Gym Leaders or Elites were invited."

Xen sighed and shook his head. "I know – same thing happened in the Kalos region," he told us. "And we've got a lot of great battlers, too."

"Yeah!" Bane agreed, finding some common ground with the Kalosian. "I mean, why are we any worse than those other regions?"

I then noticed that the clock said 12:45… and my match was at 1:00… "Guys!" I shouted, standing up. "Our match is in fifteen minutes!"

They all looked to the clock, saw that I was right, and we began running to the arena. When we got to the arena, we had about five minutes left, so we stopped to say our last comments. "Good luck," Xen said, extending his hand.

"You too," I replied, taking it and shaking. We went into the arena, Bane and Alysson seated themselves and I went to the arena battlers' entrance and walked onto the field once more. _If I win this match, Sir George said he'd give me 1000 poke!_ I reminded myself as I entered. I looked around and noticed the odd absence of Sirs Roderick and Barney. _Odd,_ I thought as I saw Xegnire Yonstixa enter from the other side.

"Trainer Xen, ready?" the referee called.

Xen nodded, pulling out a pokeball. "Ready!" he called back.

"Trainer Storm, ready?" the referee called to me.

I nodded as well. "Ready!" I shouted, pulling out my first pokeball.

"Begin!" the referee shouted as we both tossed out pokeballs. I had chosen to start with Shiekire, while Xen picked a new pokemon; Fletchling! It was a small, bird pokemon with a red head and gray-blue body and wings. It had scrawny, black legs, a black-and-white, zigzag-patterned tail, a black beak, and big, black eyes with a little yellow mark behind each of them.

"Nice pokemon!" I complimented. "I notice you didn't tell me much about this one."

Xen shrugged with a smirk. "What? Am I supposed to give away all the surprises? Fletchling, use wing attack!" The little bird flew at Shiekire.

"Shiekire, dodge it!" I shouted. Shiekire flew away from the little bird, but it was almost as fast as he was! Shiekire kept going for a bit, but was eventually hit hard by the flying-type's wing attack. "Shiekire, you okay?" I called.

"Ki!" it called, nodding its body and turning to face the attacker.

"Alright, Shiekire, use night slash!" I called.

"Fletchling, use flame charge!" Xen countered. The two pokemon rushed at each other and both hits collided, knocking our pokemon back from each other.

Honestly, I didn't expect that little pokemon to know flame charge. It may not be the strongest attack in the books, but when it's used, the pokemon who used it gains a boost in speed, and in this match, that was bad. "Shiekire, use supersonic!" I tried.

"KIIIIIIIIIII!" Shiekire screeched, but Fletchling easily and swiftly flew out of the way of the attack.

"Again!" I called out. Shiekire tried a few more times, but the little bird was just too fast.

"Fletchling, use flame charge again!" Xen shouted at his flittering pokemon. It obeyed, swiftly attacking and knocking my Shiekire out of commission.

"_Ohh! And Shiekire is down!"_ the announcer bellowed as the crowd cheered. _"With a super-fast opponent like… Fletchling up against him, what will Storm pick now?" _he went on, still sounding like he had to read notes to remember the names of Xen's pokemon.

Well, I realized that I couldn't win this battle in terms of speed, so I decided to try something else. "Go, Shellder!" I called, releasing my water-type. _With Shellder's typing and defenses, he should be pretty well-equipped for this match, _I thought.

"Fletchling, use tackle!" Xen opened. The redheaded bird flew at, then hit Shellder, flipping him over.

"…Shellder, can you get up?" I asked. Shellder wobbled a bit, then stuck its tongue out at me (while still upside-down, mind you). I sighed. "Why couldn't you have legs?" I asked myself quietly. "Alright, use rapid spin to try to lift yourself!" I tried.

Shellder spun upside-down, spinning around the field until he hit the wall, thus flipping himself over! "Awesome!" I cheered. "Now use icicle spear!" Shellder's horns glowed white, then icicles shot from them at Fletchling!

"Fletchling, dodge and attack!" Xen countered. Fletchling flew easily out of Shellder's range, and then hit him with a rough tackle.

"Shellder, spin-cicle!" I called. Shellder spun with icy horns, slamming Fletchling with the cold horns and knocking the foreign pokemon into the wall!

"Fletchling is unable to battle!" the referee announced as Fletchling twitched its leg on the ground. "Choose your next pokemon!"

Xegnire returned his Fletchling and called out another Kalosian pokemon – his Fennekin! "Fennekin, use howl!" Fennekin howled, raising its attack strength. "Now use scratch!" Fennekin ran over to Shellder.

"Shellder, withdraw!" Shellder hid in its shell and took the scratch well. "Now water gun, quick!" Xen tried to tell his Fennekin to move, but Shellder quickly sprayed his Fennekin at close-range, knocking it back a distance.

"Fennekin! Are you okay?" Xen called out to his pokemon. Fennekin barked and stood in response to its trainer's call. "Good! Now use psywave!"

I was hoping he wouldn't use that. Fennekin shot waves of psychic energy at Shellder, once again putting my pokemon on its back. "Shellder!" I called in vain.

"Alright! Once more, Fennekin!" Xen called. Fennekin shot another wave of psy-energy from its mouth, KOing Shellder.

"_And now Storm is down to his last pokemon!"_ the announcer called out as the referee made the call and I returned Shellder. _"With a Hitmonlee and Furyash remaining, what will Storm do?"_

"Good job, Shellder," I told my pokemon as I put its pokeball away. I then plucked another pokeball, picking my last pokemon of this match. "Let's go, Furyash!" I shouted, tossing the ball into the sky.

Furyash was released and let out a shrill call. _"And Storm has chosen his mighty, flame-type Furyash!" _the announcer announced announcingly. I looked up and saw that clouds were blocking the sun. Furyash had an advantage in sunlight, so I was hoping for a clear sky, but I could still work around it.

"Furyash, use gust!" I called. Furyash flapped his wings, creating a gust of wind aimed for Fennekin.

"Fennekin, dodge it and use psywave!" Xen countered. Fennekin danced around the winds, then shot a psywave at Furyash.

"Furyash, flame crash right through it!" I hollered. Some of the crowd gasped as Furyash lit itself aflame and charged through the wave of energy. Yes, he took a little damage, but he still rammed right into Fennekin afterwards! "Nice hit, Furyash!" I congratulated.

"_Aaaaaaash!_" Furyash cried as Xen contemplated his next move.

"…Fennekin, use scratch!" Xen called. Fennekin leaped at Furyash.

"Furyash, back off!" I called. Furyash back-flew away as Fennekin followed, trying to scratch Furyash at every opportunity. It was working so far, but I then realized that Furyash was about to back into a wall. "Furyash, flamethrower!"

"You use flamethrower, too, Fennekin!" Xen decided. The two fire-types shot flames at each other at such close-range that it caused an explosion! Smoke covered the field as we watched to see what had happened. As the smoke cleared, the outcome became apparent; both of our pokemon were breathing heavily, but they were still standing… well, flying in Furyash's case.

"Fennekin, again!" Xen shouted. I knew another tie would result in both pokemon fainting, and since Xen still had one pokemon left, I would lose.

"Furyash, white flame!" I called. Furyash took in a breath and a stream of white fire flew from his beak, blazing right through Fennekin's flamethrower and knocking the little fire fox into the opposite wall, knocked out.

"Fennekin!" Xen called, rushing over to check on his pokemon.

"Fennekin is unable to battle!" the referee called. "Please choose your final pokemon!"

I looked over my Furyash as the announcer narrated the scene to the audience. He was pretty worn out by that flame-splosion, so I wasn't sure how well he would do in one more match – against a full-strength pokemon, at that.

"Storm!" I was brought out of my thoughts by Xen's call. He smiled and said, "May the best trainer win!"

I smiled back. "May the best trainer _and pokemon_ win!" I agree/corrected. He tossed out his final pokemon – his shiny Pikachu, nicknamed Pika (as he had told us over lunch).

"Pika, use thunder wave!" Xen opened. The shiny Pikachu released a wave of electricity, paralyzing my firebird.

"No!" I shouted. "Furyash, hold on!" I called, trying to think of a strategy. Suddenly, a glare of light hit my eye. I saw that the cause was a man's sunglasses and looked up, seeing the sun finally shining. "Thank you," I whispered happily, then turned my attention to the field.

"Pikachu, volt tackle!" Xen called.

"WHAT!?" I shouted, having temporarily forgotten about that move. It was the same move he had used to defeat Alysson's Gerbirfur, Llama (you know, I'm finally starting to make peace with that name – it's kinda catchy). "Furyash!"

But Furyash flew straight up, dodging the attack by several feet! "WHAT!?" Xen copycatted. "But he should be paralyzed! What's going on here!?"

"_If I may,"_ I heard over the announcer, in Sir George's voice. _"Furyash is a pokemon that can take great advantage of strong sunlight, and its ability allows it to be healed of all status conditions in sunlight, as well. This includes sleep, poison, paralyzation… well, you get the idea. Again, please pardon the intrusion." _I wasn't really sure how Sir George did that, but, if it works, it works.

"Okay," I said, getting back in the zone. "Furyash, white flame!" Furyash shot a stream of white fire at the Pikachu.

"Pika, dodge it with quick attack!" Xen ordered. Pika ran around the fire at first, but Furyash quickly flew in its path and slammed his fire right at the electric-type, blasting it backward!

"Nice hit, Furyash!" I cheered. "Now, use agility to keep ahead!" I was happy we were starting to win, but I knew that one good electric-type attack could take us out of the match, so I wanted Furyash to be able to dodge it well.

"Pika, use teeter dance!" Well, I had no idea what that attack was, so I just watched as Pika danced in an odd, swaying motion. I then noticed that the sun went behind a cloud and Furyash started flying dizzily. "Teeter dance is a confusion move!" Xen then informed me.

"Oh no. Furyash!" I called, trying to snap my pokemon out of it. It wasn't working.

"Pika, use thunderbolt!" Xen called. Pika shocked Furyash quickly, knocking my bird to the ground.

"Furyash!" I called out, desperately hoping he was okay. Match or no match, that was a hard hit for Furyash to take, and I was worried about him. Furyash weakly attempted to rise, but could barely support himself.

In various parts of the audience…

"Man, this is not good," Bane told Alysson as they watched intently.

"I know. I'm not sure how Storm could pull this one out," she agreed, snacking on a bag of chips.

"…Pass the chips," Bane asked, earning a smack on the arm from Alysson.

In another part of the audience… "Man," Ron groaned, watching the match with fellow Gym Leader, Rocky. "I was really hoping to have a Furyash VS Furyash match with Storm in the finals."

"Storm's not done yet," Rocky told Ron as he watched Furyash try to stand.

"Are you kiddin'?" Ron asked as Furyash's body shook with the effort it was putting in. "Look at 'im! Furyash is in the red, Pikachu is fine, and the sun's as covered as one of my grandma's pigs in a blanket!"

Rocky watched closely. "Trust me, Ron," he said as Furyash began moving a bit more. "That Furyash of Storm's is no ordinary pokemon. You may think it's done for, and it may be at a disadvantage, but it's never gonna give in."

"Pika, finish it with volt tackle!" Xen called. As Pika ran at Furyash, I looked up and saw that there was no chance that the big cloud in the sky was gonna move out of the way and let the sunlight through, so I only had one choice left.

"Furyash!" I called, putting my whole heart in my command. "Use white flame and give it everything you've got!" Furyash leaned up, looked into Pika's eyes and shot a blazing white flame at Pika, blasting into the pokemon's electric field.

The two pushed through at each other, Pika pushing through the flames and Furyash pushing through Pika's attack. As the two neared, I called out, "Furyash!" Furyash's flame became larger and fiercer, flames shooting out around him as Pika was knocked off its feet and blasted into the far arena wall, creating cracks around its collision point.

The audience, Xen and myself looked at the wall and saw Pikachu fall, knocked out. _"…And Storm and Furyash win the match!"_ the announcer called out. _"An amazing finish to an amazing battle! Tomorrow-"_ But, even as he announced tomorrow's match, I recalled Furyash and hurried out of the arena.

**Well, there it is.**

**Bane: Good. But why are you posting on a Tuesday?**

**Because I just checked the pokemon and serebii websites.**

**Bane: … *runs to imaginary computer and looks it up* …O.O No…**

**Yup. Not sure how others will feel about it, but I know what I'm doing today! WRITING POKEMON STUFF!**

**Bane: Dude… Just wow.**

**Yup! Well? What are you waiting for, readers? THERE'S NEW POKEMON! AND EVEN A NEW **_**BZZZZZZZ**_**- *CUT OFF DUE TO OVERZEALOUSNESS***


	69. Chapter 55: New Varangians! Good or Evil

**Chapter 55: New Varangians! Good or Evil?**

_Uploaded November 1__st__, 2013_

The audience, Xen and myself looked at the wall and saw Pikachu fall, knocked out. _"…And Storm and Furyash win the match!"_ the announcer called out. _"An amazing finish to an amazing battle! Tomorrow-"_ But, even as he announced tomorrow's match, I recalled Furyash and hurried out of the arena.

"Sorry, Xen – gotta get to the center!" I called back as I left. I immediately ran to the pokemon center and got my pokémon in. I then waited on the couch.

"Hey!" I looked to see Bane and Alysson coming over. "Your pokémon okay?" Bane asked.

"Yup: Nurse Joy says they just need some rest," I replied, relaxing in my seat.

"Good." I saw Xen walk in behind them. "I was hoping I wasn't too hard on them."

"Nah," I said as, out of nowhere, Hitmonlee came out of his pokeball. "…You can do that?" I asked in reference to his releasing himself.

"…Mon-mon," Hitmonlee shrugged, saying something like, 'Apparently.' He then went to a couch and sat next to Bane.

"…Hi," Bane said. Hitmonlee meditated and closed his eyes, so Bane moved on. "So, the final match is tomorrow," Bane reminded me.

"Yup," I answered. "I'm up against Ron… Fioron… the gym leader." I let this sink in for a moment.

"Oh, chill out," Alysson nudged me. "You'll do great."

"Yeah, you sure were awesome against me!" Xen reminded me. "And I made it to my region's grand tournament." This was news to me.

"What!?" Bane shouted. "What else didn't you tell us!? Are you a gym leader!?"

Xen laughed. "No. I also didn't make it past the second round," he said, causing us to sweat-drop. "Besides, I made a fresh start when I came here – I caught all of my pokemon here on the way to the docks."

"Really?" I asked. Xen nodded. "Cool."

"You found a shiny Pikachu by luck!?" Bane shouted. "How often does that happen!?"

"…That's pretty much the **only** way it happens," Alysson informed him, shutting him up and calming him down. "…So, Xen," she went on. "That means you got all 8 of the badges?"

"Yup," Xen said with a broad smile. "Have a look." He pulled a small case out of his jacket and showed us his badges.

"…Whoa," Bane said.

"Yeah, whoa," I agreed. "…Do you have any Kenewyore badges yet?"

"Yup – four!" Xen said, shocking us all. "How many do you have? Six? Seven?"

"…Two," I answered quietly.

"Huh. Sorry, it sounded like you said two," he said with a disbelieving smirk.

"Yeah, he did," Bane said as we both showed him our badges… And, apparently, Bane has been keeping his in a shiny, red-and-black case.

"…When did you get that?" I asked, pointing to the case.

"Huh? Oh, got it in the mail," he said. "A gift from Serena."

Alysson and I gave him a knowing smile. "…What?" he asked. "…What?" We just laughed as Bane turned to Xen. "So, what badges do you have?"

We turned as Xen traded out his Kalos badge case for a green-and-yellow one (a Kenewyorian badge case). He opened it to reveal the Stalwart Badge (Rocky's badge), the Noxious Badge (Gulka's badge), and two others I hadn't yet seen. "These," he said. "I can see you have the Stalwart and Noxious badges, already… And another one."

"The Victory badge," Bane said with pride. "We won it from Serena – the Gnawton City Gym Leader, and my close, personal friend."

"_Girlfriend_," I cough-said. Bane snapped at me and glared as I held back some laughter. "…Yeah, you have a couple we haven't seen either," I said, still smirking. "What are they?"

"That's the EX badge," Xen started, pointing to an X-shaped badge made of crystals and diamond-like in appearance. "It's from this city's gym leader."

That got our attention. "The Pasturida leader?" I asked. "Really?"

Xen nodded. "We've been looking all over the city for the gym," Alysson informed him. "How did you find it?" she asked.

"Well, I'll admit – it's hard to find," Xen said. "But it's easy once you know where to start."

"Beyond what you see?" Bane asked, mocking Alysson's earlier information.

"Yup," Xen replied, making Bane's jaw drop. "You guys got some time?"

We checked the clock: it was 4:30. "Yeah, I think so- OH MY CATERPIE!" Bane suddenly shouted. "We're having dinner with the knights tonight!"

Well, I can say I was thanking the Lord when he said that. We quickly apologized, said we'd meet up with Xen after the tourney, and went to our rooms to get ready… more-or-less.

"No, no , NO!" I said, looking through my lightly-packed pack. "I didn't pack anything formal!"

"Me neither," Bane said, already changed into his black jacket, a navy blue shirt and jeans. "But I'm doing my best in honor of Sir Barney."

"What about the other knights?" I asked, still trying to figure out what to wear.

"…I'm doing my best in honor of Sir Barney," he repeated, making me laugh.

"…Thanks for that," I said, feeling a little less stressed now.

"Hey – it's what I do," he replied. "Heck, the whole dang kingdom could be at the edge of destruction and I could still get the whole room laughing."

"I bet you could," I agreed, grabbing some clothes and beginning to head out.

"Don't bother," Bane said, getting up. "I'm going anyway. I'll get your pokemon for you," he added as he left.

"Mon," Hitmonlee said as he laid on my top bunk.

"…How long has he been there?" Bane asked. I shrugged, so he left.

"…Have you been there since we left the tournament hall?" I asked Hitmonlee. He nodded. "How did you get into the room?" He tossed me something which I barely caught… it was my room key.

"…You took my room key!?" I shouted. He shrugged, so I stomped to the changing area and got changed. I came out wearing a red shirt under a white-with-red-accents jacket and jean pants. Hitmonlee looked me over and nodded approvingly, going back to his rest. "…You're coming, too," I informed him, causing him to snap out of bed.

"Mon-lee!?" he shouted, hopping down. "Mon, mon, hitmon-lee, MON!" he shouted in anger, glaring me down.

"You are coming, and that's that!" I replied as we glared each other down.

Meanwhile, Bane and Alysson were waiting in the main area of the center. Alysson was wearing an orange and purple sundress and open sandals. "Nice," Bane complimented Alysson as he sat down.

"Thank you," Alysson said, putting her hair into a long braid. "You look… Hey, where's Storm?"

Bane sighed. "It's all I got!" he defended. Alysson ignored him, so he pouted. "Storm's coming… He's talking with-"

"HITMONLEE!" They turned to see me running down the hall, chasing Hitmonlee. "Get back here with my room key!"

"MON!" Hitmonlee replied, jumping over the counter and hiding under said counter.

"…I know you're there," I told him, standing in front of the counter. Hitmonlee peeked up and hid again. I sighed. "Alright, how about this? If you come, I'll use you in my battle against Ron tomorrow… in the finals."

Hitmonlee got up and nodded. "Deal," I said as he handed me my room key. I walked over to Bane and Alysson. "…Well, I feel underdressed," I said in reference to Alysson's outfit.

She shrugged. "It's fine – I'm sure they won't care," she said, getting up. "Are we ready to go?"

We agreed and left, heading for the restaurant we were to meet the Knights at… Well, we tried to…

"Where the Heracross are we meeting them at!?" Bane shouted after we got lost.

"You don't know!?" Alysson shouted back. "I thought you were leading us there!"

"What!? I thought you were! I was just walking ahead to keep from being behind!" Bane replied.

"That makes no sense!" Alysson shouted at him.

"I does, too!" Bane yelled back.

"Would you two be quiet!?" We turned to see a guy in a New Varangian uniform standing there. "I'm trying to have my break in peace."

He walked away, leaving us somewhat confused. "…Was that?" Bane asked.

"Yeah," Alysson answered.

"But why?" I added.

"Not sure," Alysson, again, answered.

"Shall we?" Bane suggested with a smirk.

"Why not?" Alysson submitted and we followed the bad guy.

We followed him to an outdoor donut stand, where he met with three other New Varangians. "…I say we leave," I suggested quietly as we hid behind another, empty food stand.

"Now? Nah," Bane dismissed. "I think we might learn something."

"UGGGHHH!" We turned to the source of the noise – a sixteen-or-so year-old with short, purple, messy hair. "I'm booo-ooored," he whined.

"Stop complaining," a roughly-his-age girl with long, forest green hair said. She moved her hair out of her left eye, but it fell back over her face. "The boss will be back soon enough."

"I know," the purple-haired guy whined again. "But I mean I want a battle. That kid that talked weird wasn't any challenge."

"True," A slightly younger guy with spiky, red hair agreed. "He couldn't even control his pokemon… Are we gonna have lunch soon?"

"…It's five-o'clock!" the green-haired girl yelled at him. "Are you ever **not** hungry?" The guy shrugged, causing her to sigh.

"Don't get so stressed-out, Jean," a girl the same age as the redhead with bouncy, pink hair said to the girl with green hair. "I'm hungry. Where are my donuts!?" she shouted in a tantrum. "I want donuts! I want-" And, thankfully, someone else shoved a donut in her mouth. She bit some of it off, and pulled the rest out of her mouth. "Thanks, boss!"

"No problem, Katey" he said, setting a box of donuts down on the cart. He wore a similar outfit to the rest, but he had a star-shaped badge on his tunic, in bronze with silver accents, and semi-short, blue, styled hair. "You guys have done good today, even considering the unexpected issues we've run into."

"Yeah, Richter really bugs me," the red-haired kid said, taking a donut.

"Keep calm, Blaze," the 'boss' told him. "Jean and Bob aren't complaining."

"Hah!" Jean laughed. "You should've heard Bob earlier! 'I'm bored!' 'I'm tired!' 'My foot's gonna fall off!'"

"It was!" Bob, the purple-haired guy, complained. "I mean, seriously, I'm not sure it's still there!" Jean pointed to his shoe, which he looked at, confirming that his foot was indeed still there. "…Oh."

"Would you guys stop it?" there boss asked, massaging the bridge of his nose. "You're giving me a headache."

"Asprin?" Bane asked, offering one to him from beside the cart.

"No thanks," he said, waving off the gesture. "Now, then. Next, we- Who are you!?" he shouted in surprise, turning to Bane.

"Name's Bane," Bane said, extending his hand. "How do you do?"

"…Fine, thanks," the boss said, shaking Bane's hand.

"…How did he do that?" Alysson asked, trying to see how Bane got over there without our notice.

"…I have no idea," I replied, sighing. "Should we go see if he needs our help?"

"Hey, guys!" We looked to see Bane waving insanely at us. "Come over here! They have donuts!"

"…Sure," Alysson said, getting up. "Why not?"

We went over and joined Bane and the other people… The New Varangian people… yup. "Hi," the boss greeted. "I'm Ron." He gestured to the green-haired girl, then the redhead boy, then the pink-haired girl, then the purple-haired guy. "This is Jean, Blaze, Katey and Bob."

"Hello," Jean said dully, not even looking over.

"Hey!" Blaze greeted, smiling and waving his hand.

"Hi there!" Katey greeted warmly, then went back to her donut.

"Hi," Bob said, eating a donut with his eyes half-shut.

"…Yup," Ron said. "This is my team… How do we ever get anything done?"

"What do you do, Ronny?" Bane asked, sitting on the food cart and eating a donut.

"It's Ron," Ron said passively. "And we are the New Varangians! We travel Kenewyore and spread the message of the N.V."

"…And that would be what?" I said, remembering what the other New Varangians we met had done. "Give us your pokémon or we attack?"

They all snapped toward me at that. "What are you talking abou-" Ron stopped as though he realized something and sighed. "You met Richter and Donny, didn't you?" he asked, massaging his temple again.

"And Tessa and Jackie," Alysson added. "I think that was their names."

"Great – now he's got more," Blaze said with a groan. "I'd like to get my hands on that-"

"Blaze!" Ron stopped him. Blaze stopped and groaned. "…Richter leads a team of N.V. renegades," he told us. "But don't let that decide your opinion of the whole group, please."

"Why not?" Bane asked, eating a banana. "Ain't you all the same?"

"No!" Ron shouted, angered by the accusation. "We are **not** like them! We do **not** steal pokemon!"

"…When did you get a banana?" I asked Bane. Everyone turned to Bane, who shrugged. "Found it in the donut box," he said. "Want some?"

"…I'm good," was the general reply to that. Bane shrugged and continued eating his banana.

"…So, if you aren't pokemon thieves," I began. "What are the New Varangians all about?"

"…We are an organization devoted to justice!" Ron stated. "We have a motto, too. Wanna hear it?"

We shared a glance and shrugged, so they went ahead and showed us.

"Make way for the new dawn of Kenewyore!" Bob began.

"A shining new star makes its mark!" Jean went on.

"Let everyone hear our call!" Katey called in.

"And don't confuse us with Stark!" Blaze added oddly.

They stopped. "…WHAT THE… the…" Ron tried to shout.

"Heracross?" Bane suggested.

"Thanks. WHAT THE HERACROSS!?" Ron shouted. "I gave you people one task today! ONE! '_Make a motto._' How hard is that!?"

"Umm… We had a hard time rhyming mark," Bob said.

"Then fix it!" Ron yelled, causing them to scramble over their lyric sheets.

"…So," I went on. "The New Varangians?"

"Right, right," Ron went on. "Our mission is to protect people – like a sort of police force. You see, we travel Kenewyore, firstly so that everyone knows we're here. Secondly, to train so that we can achieve the highest rank," he pointed to his badge. "The diamond-rank. If you're a diamond-rank, you can go on patrol around the region, defending the innocent from oppression!"

"…So, you're like Gligarman?" Bane asked.

"Yes, we- NO!" Ron shouted in annoyance. "We are not like made-up superheroes!"

"Gligarman is **not** made-up!" Bane argued. "He's real! And he could kick your butt!"

"Umm, boss?" Bob interjected.

"WHAT!?" Bane and Ron shouted.

"…We fixed the motto," he said, pointing to the new lyric sheet.

"Good," Ron said. "Go." They got back into place and began.

"Make way for the new dawn of Kenewyore!" Jean started this time.

"And let the unjust flee in fright!" Bob went on.

"We shall defend those who cannot defend!" Blaze called.

"Hear us now, and know our might!" Katey added.

"Jean!"

"Bob!"

"Blaze!"

"Katey!"

"…Oh. Ron!" Ron joined in.

Then they all said, "We are the New Varangians! Defenders of Kenewyore!"

"…What do you think?" Ron asked.

"…Catchy," I said. "So, you're saying you're good guys?" I added.

"Yes," Ron answered with a nod. "And right now, we're trying to track down Richter's renegade team and stop them. As you apparently know, they are not following our organization's code."

"I suppose so," Bane said, picking his teeth. "But you really haven't proven to us that you're good guys, either."

Ron sighed. "Hey, let's battle!" Blaze suggested.

"Umm, we're kinda busy," I interrupted, making Blaze pout. "You see, we're meeting some friends for dinner…"

"But we forgot where we're meeting them," Bane added. "She was supposed to remember," he added, pointing to Alysson.

"Me!?" Alysson yelled at him offendedly. "They never told me where we were meeting!"

"Well, they never told me, either!" Bane shouted. They both paused and turned to me. "Storm?" they asked in unison.

"Hey, don't look at me," I defended. "I was never told anything… Did Barney say anything after I left?"

"Not really," Alysson replied. "We kinda ran out to follow you and… Oh my gosh!" she shouted. "We never gave him a chance to tell us where we were meeting at!"

Bane sighed. "Well, this is great," he said sarcastically. "We have no idea where we're meeting the dang knights… Lovely."

"Knights?" Ron asked. "Like, the royal knights?"

We nodded. "I saw them heading to that fancy place a few minutes ago," Bob said.

"WHERE!?" we all shouted to him. He fell back out of surprise.

Ron sighed. "It must be the Glam-Meow," he informed us. "That's the only restaurant he would've passed on the way here."

"No, it was the Clamperl Jewel," Bob corrected.

"…That's on the other side of town," Ron stated. "How on pokearth were you there?"

"…We might've gone over for a little… two-hour break," Jean said quietly.

"…Okay, team," he said, clapping his hands and smirking. "Thanks to you all, we can skip our donut break!" His team's jaws dropped. "Because we have a limited timeframe, we're going to get to our rigorous training session now!" Their jaws lowered. "Starting **NOW**!" he shouted.

"…We'll just leave," I said, guiding us away.

"Cool," Ron said as the others put their donuts away. "Hope we see you again."

**Well, it seemed like it was about time to upload another chapter – so I did.**

**Bane: …It's been time for, like… three months?**

**No! …Only… OVER FOUR MONTHS!?**

**Bane: …Did you die or something?**

**NO! …I am at college.**

**Storm, Bane, Alysson, Ron, Rocky, and the Knights: Ohhhhh…**

…**When did all of you people get here!? OUT!**

**Aforementioned People: *flee***

…**Good grief, my mind is weird.**

**Bane, wearing a Moltres costume: Yup.**


	70. Chapter 56: Meal with Knights IMPORTANT!

**Chapter 56: You Shall Join Me for Dinner!**

_Uploaded BLANK, 2013_

"…We'll just leave," I said, guiding our group away.

"Cool," Ron said as his team put their donuts away. "Hope to see you again."

"…Well, that was interesting," Bane stated once we were a distance away.

"It was," Alysson agreed. "He seemed pretty sincere in his explanation of the New Varangians."

"Maybe," I half-agreed. "I don't want to be too trusting, though. He could just be trying to trick us." Hitmonlee nodded in agreement.

By that time, we arrived at the restaurant, the Clamperl Jewel. We walked in and were greeted by Sir George Laurel and his fancy, blonde hair. "Ahh, there you are," Sir George said, almost walking out the door. "I was about to go looking for you. Shall we?" With that, he led us to a round table inside the fine dining restaurant, where Sirs Roderick and Barney were already seated, an empty chair between them. I convinced Hitmonlee to go into his pokeball (by telling him it would probably be boring anyway) and we approached.

"Ahh, so you found them," Sir Barney said as he saw us. Roderick sneered.

"Actually, they were at the door just as I was about to head out," Sir George informed them. "Please, take your seats," Sir George directed us. He sat between Sirs Barney and Roderick, and we sat along the other half of the table (The seating was, left-to-right, Roderick, George, Barney, me, Alysson, Bane, then back to Roderick).

"So, welcome, welcome," Sir Barney greeted us. "Please, have something," he said as a few trays of food were sat down. Honestly, I think my stomach would've jumped up and eaten the food itself, if it could've. Instead, I slowly grabbed some food and ate politely… Bane ripped the leg off a turkey and nearly swallowed it whole until Alysson stopped him.

"…Well, apparently you were hungry," Sir George observed, getting some food for himself. "Though I suppose a good battle will cause that."

"Indeed, it would," Roderick agreed. "If it were a good battle," he added loud-enough-to-hear.

"Sir Roderick," Sir Barney said semi-reprovingly. "…Well now, what should we discuss first?"

"I have an idea," Sir George suggested. "I'm rather curious about yourselves," he began. "May I ask why you're all travelling?" We all seemed a little surprised by this. "Nothing too personal or anything, but I _am_ curious."

"Well, I am training for the Gauntlet League," Bane informed him.

"I'm trying to learn about the world – or at least Kenewyore," Alysson added. "I just love the idea of adventuring and exploring the world… That's all."

"And you?" Roderick directed coldly toward me. "What are you travelling so far away from little Puzzlin for?"

"…Personal reasons," I said, hoping that was enough.

"Oh, come now," Roderick coaxed with a cruel smirk. "Surely you have a good reason. What is it?"

"Roderick, now-"

"No, it's fine," I said, interrupting Sir Barney. "If he wants to know, I'll tell him… Sir Roderick?" I addressed him directly. "Have you heard of the Purrloin Bank?"

"Oh, indeed I have," he said with an annoyed look. "I had a fine amount of stock in them, then they go off and disappear. I lost a fair amount of poke there."

"…Almost my entire family's savings were in there," I said, shocking the others (save for Alysson, who I had already told. "We went nearly broke if it weren't for my dad's work as a researcher."

"…So," Sir George began. "When you said you already had reasons to fight… Well, those are certainly good reasons," he said, handing me an envelope.

"What's this?" I asked, taking the envelope, which felt like it was full of paper.

"I am a man of my word," Sir George said. "That is your 1000 poke."

My eyes widened. "…Thank you, sir," I said. "But I really can't-"

"No, I insist," he stopped me. "It's not charity – I would do the same if young Xegnire won."

"…So, you gave the same to Fioron?" I questioned.

His look turned to surprise, then he smirked. "Well, you are a smart young man… Very well," he said, accepting the envelope back from me. "I shall take it back… But let me state, here and now," he added. "That I shall give a great sum of poke to whosoever wins the tournament."

Well, the table became quiet for a moment, then Sir Barney spoke. "So, Bane," he began. "Tell us about yourself. Where are you from?"

"Well, I used to live on Solatropia Island," he started. "I used to live next-door to Gnawton's gym leader, Serena. We had tons of fun," he said, chuckling at the memory. "I moved to Clarion a little while back and got my Porygon from my dad, then I went to Littlelog… where I met Sir Roderick," he finished with a smirk.

Roderick scowled. "I am well-aware of our meeting, child," he said, not able to dampen Bane's spirits, even with insults. "Go on."

"…Well, then I met Storm," he said. "Right after our battle, actually."

"Sir Roderick?" Sir Barney exclaimed. "You battled a beginning trainer?"

"Well, it wasn't so much of a battle," Sir Roderick dismissed. "More of a… lesson of sorts," he said with a smirk.

"Whatever," Bane dismissed, annoying Roderick. "So, I met Storm, then Alysson, then _we_ battled."

"Really?" Sir George asked with mild surprise. "Well, I'll bet that was something."

"Not really," Alysson replied with a smile. "We had all only just started out – we only had one pokémon each."

"Hold on a moment," Sir Roderick interrupted, looking genuinely interested. "I don't think I understand – how did all three of you have just one battle?"

"A three-way battle," I answered, surprising the knights.

"Really?" Sir George asked. Bane, Alysson and I nodded. "…Well, that does take some skill."

"Some," Sir Roderick admitted, somehow turning that into an insult. "Then?"

"Well, we went through the Ironhill Caverns to Ironhill," Alysson explained. "And that's where Storm beat Rocky."

I smiled a little at the memory. We went on for a little while, explaining our adventures up to this point, even keeping Sir Roderick's attention during our stories of battling The Phantom. However, just as we got to our arriving in Pasturida…

"Oh dear," Sir Roderick said, checking his watch. "It appears I must be going."

"Going?" Sir Barney asked. "But it's hardly even been thirty minutes. Why the rush?"

"…Important matters," Sir Roderick mumbled, getting up. "Good day, Sir George, Sir Barney… You," he added toward the three of us, then left.

"…Well, now that he is gone, let's discuss something of personal interest to myself," Sir George suggested. "How many of you are familiar with the Kalos region?"

We all shared glances and even Sir Barney seemed somewhat confused as he went on. "Well, our friend Xen is from Kalos," I replied.

"And he's told us some things about it," Alysson agreed. "But, outside of the normal stuff like landmarks and pokémon, he didn't say much."

"Has he told you about… Mega Evolution?" Sir George asked as Barney's eyebrows shot up in shock.

"Sir, George!" Barney yelled hushedly. "That is a very sensitive matter."

"Oh, poo," Sir George replied. "You've seen it as much as I have – there are trainers popping up even here in Kenewyore with Mega Pokémon now. We must let them know, mustn't we?" he finished with a confident smirk, making Bane shudder.

Sir Barney remained silent, so Bane decided to insert his two cents. "It sounds pretty cool," he said. "What is it?"

"…All right," Sir Barney relented. "Go on then, you're the expert."

"Well, not expert, per-se," Sir George disagreed. "Although I agree I have studied it extensively – it intrigues me." Sir George turned to face us. "Well, you know the basics of pokémon evolution, yes?" We all nodded. "Well, I'd hope so… Mega Evolution is a much more powerful evolution – an evolution that was discovered in Kalos after a great war."

"How's that work?" Bane asked as we listened intensely.

"Well, it's a long story," Sir George said. "But, in summary, the light-aura given off by the legendary pokémon of Kalos – Yveltal and Xerneas – shone into an assortment of stones called "Mega Stones". For whatever reason it may be, each of these stones can cause certain pokémon to reach a higher evolution."

Sir Barney leaned back to rest as he went on. "Now, not all pokémon can achieve Mega Evolution. There are a great number of known pokémon, however, including Aerodactyl, Gengar, Tyranitar, Charizard, Blastoise, Venusaur, Kangaskhan… Well, the list goes on."

"But… What _is _Mega Evolution, exactly?" I asked, still not quite sure what the big deal was. It sounded like these 'Mega Stones' were just a new evolution stone – like Fire stones, Shiny stones, etc…

"…I shall show you," Sir George said, reaching into his bag by his chair and taking out a folder. He opened it and handed us three pictures.

The first picture was of Xen, apparently on a battlefield, with a Lucario before him. "Hey, it's Xen!" Bane said.

"Yeah, it must have been when he was in Kalos' big tourney," Alysson added as we flipped to the next picture. In this one, Xen was reaching with his right hand over to his left wrist and a light began shining from it. At the same time, Lucario was becoming surrounded by light and stones were ripping from the ground around it.

"…Whoa," Bane said, checking the picture out. "That looks pretty cool… But what's the big- HELLO!" he shouted as we went to the next picture. Lucario… well, it looked like it had evolved – it wasn't very different, with a basically 'evolved' look about it… if that makes sense.

"Okay, it looks cool, but what does this do?" Alysson asked, trying to get Bane to stop freaking out over Lucario's "Stinkin' Mega-Evolution!" as Bane put it.

"Oh, I forgot," Sir George said, pulling one more picture out of the file. "One last picture." We looked at the picture, and even Bane was speechless. It was a collage of pictures of this Mega-Lucario taking down a Charizard with ease.

"…He… beat a Charizard," Bane stated after a moment of silence.

"It is possible," Alysson said after another moment. "Lucario is a strong pokémon, and-"

"He was fighting Malva – one of the elites of Kalos," Sir George informed us, our eyes widening. "A Mega-Evolved pokémon is, statistically-speaking, evenly-matched with legendary pokémon."

"Indeed," Sir Barney agreed. "I have seen a Mega Pokémon in action, myself."

"Really?" Sir George said in surprise. "When?"

"When I visited Kalos for a personal trip," he said. "Young Xegnire was in Lumoise city and treated me to a battle – he did give my Gallade a good workout, but I enjoyed the bout nonetheless."

"Did you win?" Bane asked.

"I did," Sir Barney replied with a nod. "But it was certainly an intense match."

"No wonder," I said, working something out in my head.

"I'm sorry?" Sir George asked me.

"Well, Xegnire has started taking the Gym Challenge," I explained. "Here in Kalos. I guess after he battled Sir Barney, he decided it would be worth a trip to try to face the Elites…"

"Man, I would love to see them!" Bane exclaimed, earning a 'shh!' from Alysson. "Well, come on, they've gotta be some pretty tough trainers."

"You don't know?" Sir George said.

"George," Sir Barney warned. Sir George just waved him off.

"Know what?" Bane, the ever-curious soul, asked.

"Well… Sir Barney and I…" Sir George started as we leaned forward intently. "…Have fought them," he said kind-of anticlimactically.

"…Huh," Bane said, relaxing back in his chair. "Thought that would be more surprising the way you built it up."

Well, I was about to scold Bane for being so disrespectful to a Knight, but Sir George cut me off. "I do tend to get a bit overdramatic at times. Well, although we have similar names – the Four Knights and the Elite Four – we are not the same people," he explained. "However, I'll say that-"

"But, isn't Sir Barney an Elite?" Bane interjected.

"…Hmm, thought you wouldn't have told them," Sir George said with a pout, turning to Sir Barney. "As secretive as you are."

"Fioron challenged me to a battle by his right," Sir Barney explained as Sir George's eyes widened. "There really wasn't any way around it."

"…I see," Sir George said, checking his watch. "Well, I must ask you to forgive the hasty exit," he said, standing up. "But I must be going – people to meet, places to see."

**Okay, I know what you're thinking!**

**Bane: I'm gonna find this author and rip his head off?**

…**Hopefully not. Anyways, and I'm sending a direct PM to all my reviewers (who accept them) about this – I'VE REWRITTEN THE FIRST TEN CHAPTERS OF THIS STORY!**

**Bane: …Holy Tauros, are you serious?**

**Of course I am – you're in them.**

**Bane: Oh, right… Whoopee! Wait, why is this good?**

**Cuz I'm leaving this story here and also am adding a warning about the rewrite to the first chapter. It also means that I'll be back to more updating and that I'm gonna add some better stuff to the story.**

**Bane: Please – what do you have now that you didn't then?**

**Try a full original pokédex of 85 ORIGINAL POKÉMON!**

**Bane: O.O …I'm going to faint. *faints***

**Thank you, thank you. Also, I'll be finding a good site to post my poke-bio's and a full map of Kenewyore on soon. Probably photobucket or something.**

**BANE: WAIT A SECOND! Does that mean that this story is ending? Not **_**the**_** story, but this one?**

…**Yes. Yes it does.**

**Bane: NOOOOOO!**

…**But I've already got the first five chapters (which contain the first ten chapters of this story) of the rewrite written.**

**Bane: …Well, this does explain why you took so long to write it.**

**That and I've been working on the sequel to **_**Bane's Adventure to the Fifth Wall**_**.**

**Bane: Sequel!? HOLY FART-NUGGET, WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'SEQUEL'!?**

…**I've said too much. I'VE SAID TOO MUCH! *leaps into a magenta portal***

**Bane: OH NO YOU DON'T! *leaps in after him, ending this chapter***

**P.S. Please PM me with any questions – thanks!**


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